Fate: Digital Hazard
by Cronosonic
Summary: Rather than living in Shinjuku, the Digimon Tamers made their home in Fuyuki City, with major consequences. Shirou Emiya and Takato Matsuki now must deal with the brutal Holy Grail War alongside the emergence of Digimon, and have to fight not only to survive, but to protect the people they care about, while friends and allies alike adapt to the changing circumstances...
1. Chapter 1

_**Fate/Digital Hazard**_

_**By Candescence**_

_Oh, bloody hell, I came up with yet another idea. Lovely. I'll try to at least alternate between updates with my active fics._

_Firstly, I don't want to retread canon events overtly, but the issue is with crossovers, people won't necessarily be familiar with both continuities. So, I want to try and compromise. For people not familiar with Digimon or Fate/Stay Night, their respective wikis (the Digimon Wiki/Wikimon and the Type-Moon Wiki, respectively) will help with characters and general events. That being said, the Nasuverse has a rather complicated magic system. I'd recommend checking out the analysis page for the Nasuverse on TvTropes, which provides a reasonably summarised explanation. That being said, I'll try and do my best to fill in wherever possible._

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

_The potential number of alternate realities are infinite. They could be affected by any number of variables. There are two sides to this specific tale, both of which various people have heard before. But on one side, change one major variable to match the other, and things change dramatically. It is a terrifying and exciting prospect. For that particular universe, the consequences could be outright catastrophic._

_But two people, a young man and a boy, would not accept such consequences. In fact, they would risk everything to save the world._

_And in Fuyuki City, is where this tale begins, starting with a dream._

* * *

Standing on one side of a misty street, Shirou Emiya blinked, wondering why he wasn't asleep. Only moments ago, he had began to sleep, so this was likely a dream. However, he could barely even move. He noticed that he was floating a couple of feet above the ground. "What on Earth...?"

One other person heard him speak his thoughts aloud. Takato Matsuki, wearing pyjamas, was in a similar position, on the other side of the road. This was not the first odd thing he had experienced today. That would be the blue card turning his card scanner into a strange, red device, likely a Digivice, that accepted his Guilmon sketches as valid data. This strange dream, along with the older teenager on the other side of the road, was quite strange indeed, however. "Um... Hello?"

Shirou looked towards the brown-haired boy with brown eyes on the other side of the road. "Um... Hi?"

"Lynxmon, Armor level..."

Then two figures came between them, clashing violently. The yellow and orange blurs were difficult to make out so suddenly, but one was a large, yellow fox of some kind, the other was a large four-legged beast that looked like its body was made of fire, pinning the fox to the ground. Off to the side, on the road, a young girl with orange hair, a cream-coloured jacket, a white shirt with aqua sleeves, blue jeans, and red shoes, was inserting a card into some kind of device, which Takato recongized as being similar to the Digivice he had gotten that day. "Renamon, card slash. High-Speed Plug-In B."

Takato gasped, "A Digimon Tamer..." Shirou definitely heard him, but he had no idea what he meant. He then noticed that the boy was carrying a similar device to what the girl carried.

There was little contest, as Renamon suddenly disappeared out from under the Lynxmon, suddenly glancing at Takato as she launched a storm of what looked like glass shards at the Lynxmon. The Lynxmon was easily defeated, bursting into particles which the fox absorbed into her body. Shirou honestly had no idea what just happened. Takato, however, was captivated. It was a live battle between Digimon, and the Renamon had defeated an enemy on the field of battle, with assistance from her Tamer.

"Heh. Not bad. But that was severely underwhelming."

Stepping out into view, was another girl, much older than the other one. The girl had black hair with twin-tails tied with black ribbons, blue eyes, and a red red turtleneck with a black skirt, long black socks and brown shoes. "What's a little girl like you commanding a beast?"

The younger girl glanced at her. "Are you a Tamer as well? Otherwise, get lost."

"'Tamer', you say?" Emerging from out of the mist, was a white-haired man with tanned skin, brown eyes, and wore a strange red coat over what looked like lightweight black armor. "Master, I do not think she is involved with the Grail War."

"Certainly not, Archer. Her 'partner' isn't a Servant," spoke the black-haired girl, who Shirou easily recognised as Rin Tohsaka, regarded as a perfect student at his school, and he had to admit, he admired her. "This is an interesting predicament. We can't have creatures like this complicating things."

Renamon stepped forward, "I suggest you take Rika's advice and leave, otherwise-"

"Otherwise what?" Archer chuckled, with a cocky smirk. For some reason, Shirou simply couldn't approve of him. Perhaps it was his looks or his attitude, but for some reason, he just couldn't like him. "I could easily defeat you with my bare hands."

"Archer, don't play around," Rin frowned. "I want you to defeat the fox, but don't harm the girl. We can't risk civilians getting involved in the War."

"I have no objections, Master," Archer's eyes narrowed, stepping forward. Renamon took on a fighting stance.

The other girl's eyes narrowed, "Take him down, Renamon."

Shirou and Takato, for some reason, both understood one simple truth – if Renamon were to fight Archer, the former would lose. It was something they could just feel, as if it was an absolute constant that could simply not change.

"Understood, Rika," Renamon nodded, and rushed towards Archer, who suddenly had two swords in his hands. Shirou could barely make out the words from Archer's mouth, as he prepared to counter. And before Shirou and Takato could try to call out to stop the fight, the dream ended...

"_I am the bone of my sword."_

* * *

As it happened, Takato and Shirou both lived on the Miyama side of Fuyuki City, even if they didn't know it. In particular, Takato's home was in the shopping district south of the Emiya residence.

The day had gone as normal on both sides. Both went to school, and Takato had discovered that Guilmon had hatched after he had left school. By the time he had reached Guilmon and was bringing him back home, Shirou had been stabbed in the heart, and his heart had been repaired by Rin, and then nearly died once more after being attacked yet again by the blue-clothed man who had killed him before, only to be saved by the beautiful golden-haired girl with the invisible sword, calling herself 'Saber'...

_"I ask of you: Are you my Master?"_

Shirou narrowly stopped Archer from being injured by Saber. And in gratitude, Rin told him about the Holy Grail War – a conflict between seven Servants, which were 'Heroic Spirits', heroes summoned from across time and space, to each fight for a 'Master', for one goal – the Holy Grail, which would grant one wish.

However, that evening, as the two Masters and their Servants went up to the church on the hill, elsewhere, Rika Nonaka was heading home after Renamon defeated a wild Digimon that evening. "Your fighting ability is certainly not under par against other Digimon. But you were nearly deleted when fighting that man. How could a mere human be stronger than a Digimon?"

"I do not believe that was a Digimon, Rika," Renamon spoke to her from the shadows. "He mentioned something called a 'Servant'. I believe he is something entirely different from a Digimon. I apologise for my inability to defeat him. But he was too skilled. Far too skilled. I could feel a lifetime's worth of honed technique from him, something that even Digimon can only hope to aspire to. The fox clone card was barely enough to even escape."

"I see." Rika nodded. The implications were obvious to her. A 'Servant' was a being akin to a Digimon, but clearly on a higher level than the Digimon she had fought thus far. Only evolution would solve the problem. Then she'd be able to-

The sound of an explosion in the area caused Rika to abandon that train of thought, and started running to the top of the hill to get a better perspective on what just happened. And what she saw was more than surprising. In the cemetery by the church, two figures were fighting. A golden-haired girl in armor was moving around quickly, fighting her opponent, a giant of a man with black skin and a massive rock-like blade. His movement was constrained in this environment, giving the girl more room to fight at her best. Off to the side, the black-haired girl she had lost to, along with a brown-haired young man, were watching the fight. Also off to the side, was a younger girl, about Rika's age, with silver hair and red eyes, watching the fight expectantly.

Rika took cover, not wanting to be seen. She also certainly had noticed that a far-off figure (likely Archer) was firing glowing arrows at the huge man, who roared repeatedly, trying to strike his target. The battle was absolutely destructive. Rika felt her heart beat. This wasn't just any battle between Digimon. This was a battle between Servants. This was beyond Champion-level, possibly even beyond Ultimate-level. To get Renamon involved would mean defeat – whether it be pierced by Archer's arrows, or sliced by the girl's invisible sword, or torn to pieces by the monster beyond monsters that was the giant tearing up the graveyard. Most Digimon had no place in this battle, lest they be torn to shreds in the crossfire.

Eventually, the battle was concluded when Archer launched an especially powerful projectile at the giant. The young man got the golden-haired girl away just in time, though he was injured in the process. Archer's projectile was destructive, but the giant seemed almost unscathed. But the little girl remarked, "Hmm. I have a better opinion of you, Rin. Your Archer's pretty good. Alright, come back, Beserker. I wanted to get the boring stuff over with first, but I've changed my mind." The dissonantly cheery tone caused a shiver to run down Rika's spine. Despite convincing herself otherwise, she knew that she was absolutely terrified.

Rin spoke, "You're running away after all this?"

"Yup, I've changed my mind. I don't want Saber, but I'm interested in Archer, now. So I'll let you live for a bit longer. Goodbye. Let's play again, Onii-chan!" the little girl smiled, as she and 'Beserker' disappeared through the flames.

Renamon, hiding beside her partner, whispered, "We cannot linger here, Rika. We have to go."

Rika nodded slowly, suppressing the urge to gulp at the battle she had just witnessed. They left the scene without a word, trying their best not to attract attention. But another creature had been watching the battle with curiosity, and as the young man collapsed and the girls had to carry him down the road, the small, white Digimon waddled after them.

* * *

Once the girls got home and put Shirou to bed, Rin sighed. "Well... Things just became more complicated, quickly. I didn't expect to run into Illyasviel and Berserker so soon."

"It is good that the circumstances were fortunate," Saber replied, as they came into the living room. "In a more open environment, I would not have had the advantage."

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't get crushed by that big meanie, culu!"

"I... I did not expect you to say such a thing, Rin."

"Um... I didn't say that," Rin blinked, as she and Saber looked down at the table. Standing there, was a surprisingly adorable white koala-like creature with big green eyes, purple markings on its ears, and on its forehead, a quad of triangular markings with a red triangle in the middle. He looked up at them with an adorable smile, which caused the girls to stare at him awkwardly for a few seconds, before Rin spoke, "Uh... Is that a familiar?"

The little creature blinked, "What's a familiar?"

"Who are you, little one?" Saber sat down in front of him, examining him closely. It was no creature she had ever seen. Certainly not a non-magical creature, and clearly sapient, as well.

The little tyke smiled to her, "I'm Calumon! Wanna play, culu?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Saber shook her head. "I do not wish to waste my prana supply. Otherwise, I will disappear if I run out."

Calumon blinked. "What's prana, culu?"

"It's magical energy. You should know that," Rin said, sitting down as well. "Saber is a Servant, so she requires prana to stay in this world, but Shirou's connection to her is limited, so he can't supply prana to her normally. So she has to sleep or eat in order to conserve energy."

"I don't think he knows about Servants, Rin." Archer materialised in the room, causing Calumon to look on in awe. "I believe he's of the same type of being that we fought the previous night."

"A Digimon? Don't be ridiculous, they're just some stupid card game," Rin frowned. "he's obviously some undiscovered magical creature or a familiar, or-"

Archer chuckled. "For someone who is a magus, you certainly are skeptical of the unusual, Rin."

"Shut up, Archer," Rin pouted, annoyed by his attitude. Like an arrow, his insults were always right on target. "Digimon stands for 'Digital Monster', right? Or so I hear. They're creatures born of technology rather than magic?"

"Indeed they are, Rin. They're composed of pure computer data," Archer replied. "I was quite surprised to find that they are indeed real, but I suppose if magecraft exists, creatures like this are far from impossible."

"You're not a Digimon, culu?" Calumon curiously waddled over to the edge of the table, "But you're strong like one, and you guys fight like them, culu."

"I'm afraid that's not the case," Archer said, kneeling, and scratching Calumon behind the ears, which the little guy liked a lot. "Saber and I are 'Servants'. Our role is to fight, but we are fundamentally different beings. Think of us as, I suppose, spirits brought back to this world."

"Then, you're... GHOSTS?!" Calumon immediately rushed behind Rin's leg, a bit freaked out, his big ears shrinking to minimal size. He didn't really understand all that well, which caused Rin to correct him. "Not strictly. They're great heroes from the past who have been, in a sense, summoned to this age to fight in the Holy Grail War."

Calumon blinked, cocking his head to the side in confusion. Rin sighed, "This is gonna be a long night."

* * *

After Calumon finally understood the basics of the Holy Grail War, everyone was able to get some sleep. After talking to Shirou when he woke up, Rin wanted to take Calumon with her when she was going home, but the little guy was so adorable when he was sleeping on the table, so she didn't have the heart to wake him. She left him there to nap, deciding that Shirou could take care of him well enough.

Shirou would indeed discover the little puffball sleeping on the living room table, and when he found Saber in the dojo, it didn't take him long to get around to the question of, "Why is there an albino koala sleeping on the table?"

It didn't take Saber long to introduce Shirou to Calumon, and soon they were eating lunch. Shirou was almost disturbed by how they were both so capable of practically inhaling the food that he provided. He was also equally disturbed by the realization that creatures made of computer data actually exist. He didn't use computers very often, but he knew what data was. But to materalize as actual matter should be impossible, something bordering on the First Sorcery. After a brief conversation about Saber's prana conservation, the phone rang. Shirou got up to get it. "Geez, at this time on a Sunday...?" He answered it, "Hello, this is Emiya."

"_Hi, this is Fujimura!"_ Taiga Fujimura's unmistakable voice echoed though the speaker, nearly hurting Shirou's ears. He could only sigh. This was going to be one of _those _days. Taiga, or 'Fuji-nee' as Shirou called her, had abruptly 'ordered' lunch, specifically an omelet, and she wanted him to deliver it to the archery range.

"Alright, Saber, watch the house while I'm gone!" Shirou said, as he went to the front door... Except, ignoring his order, Saber followed him. As did Calumon. A brief inquiry as to why resulted in Saber explaining that she had to watch him at all times. "Wait, at all times?! What if I'm sleeping?!"

"Then I'll sleep next to you. In the same bed, if possible," Saber said frankly.

"WHAT?! No, no, no, that's not happening!" Shirou was blushing profusely.

Calumon blinked, "What's wrong with sleeping together, culu?"

"W-W-Well, she's a girl, and I'm a guy, so-"

"That is not an adequate reason, Shirou," Saber replied. "Your reasoning and plans are full of holes. If you can't provide a clear reason..."

"I can't provide one, you're a girl, you can't sleep in the same room as me! End of story! I'll get you a room when I come back! Besides, we can't bring Calumon along, I mean, a talking animal is gonna draw WAY too much suspicion!" Shirou replied, as he ran out the door, hoping Saber would understand.

She didn't. Instead, she and Calumon followed along, repeatedly rebuffing his attempts to go back. Calumon giggled, "La la la, not listening, culu!" Saber's reason for following him was basically the same, except much more eloquent. Shirou couldn't help but feel that she was just acting childish.

Eventually, Shirou settled on a compromise. Saber was to act as a foreigner who was a friend of his father, who came over to sightsee. Calumon... Was to act like a stuffed animal, which Saber carried. Calumon was all too happy to oblige, holding onto Saber's arm. As they arrived at the school and headed into the archery range, a brunette girl was outside, wearing the school's uniform – Ayako Mitsuzuri, the captain of the archery club, someone Shirou knew well. "Oh, Emiya-kun, you're here to deliver her meal?"

"As you guessed. Is Fuji-Nee here?" Shirou asked, smiling to her.

"Yup. Man, you saved us. We were worried because she was hungry and getting edgy," Ayako chuckled. "the cafeteria's closed, so-"

She then noticed something at her feet. Calumon had dropped to the ground, and had waddled over, looking up at her with wide eyes. The silence was rather awkward. She spoke, "Emiya-kun. What's with the little fuzzball? And where did you get him?"

Shirou was trying not to freak out. "Well... Um... He's a pet. This girl here is a friend of my father's, and she came from abroad..."

"Which country? Because I totally want to go to wherever there's animals this cute!" Ayako giggled, picking up Calumon and hugging him. Shirou was unnerved by this behaviour. Ayako was a major tomboy, and to see her being _feminine _was kinda freaky, even if it wasn't a bad thing.

"Um... Well, I have to deliver this lunch, so... Just don't make a big deal out of it, please. I'll be in your debt if you try to keep it quiet," Shirou said nervously, Saber standing by him.

Ayako smiled, nodding. "Sure, sure. Just don't try to take it back."

* * *

Unfortunately, it didn't take much effort for Ayako to cause a commotion once they went inside the archery range. The girls in the club were simply fawning over Calumon, who was positively _loving _the attention he was getting. Including Taiga Fujimura, who had completely forgotten about her lunch delivery. "Shiroooooouuuuu! Can you _please _convince her to let us keep him? He's so cuuuuuuuuuuute!"

"Um... I don't think I can, Fuji-nee... He can stay while she stays, but otherwise..." Shirou was exasperated. It did not help that Sakura was right in his face, the purple-haired girl smiling wider than he had ever seen her before. "Please, Senpai? Plllllleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaasssss sseeeee?"

"... Not you too, Sakura..." Shirou felt extremely awkward right now. Like this, it was difficult to say no to either of them, especially Sakura. "Look, I'll have a word with her, and see if we can't-"

"I wouldn't mind staying around! Shirou makes good food, culu~!"

Everyone looked at Calumon, who was smiling widely back. Ayako blinked. "Did he just talk?"

"I think he did," said another girl.

Shirou closed his eyes, and prepared himself for the inevitable chaos that would ensue.

"OH MY GOSH HE'S EVEN CUTER!"

… Which was, admittedly, _not _what he had in mind. Instead, Shirou quickly found himself being cornered by the entire archery club, sans Ayako, who were giving him puppy-dog looks and begging him to get Saber to keep him around. He looked past the group, "Uh, Mitsuzuri-san? Saber? Some help over here?"

Ayako was trying her best not to laugh. "Sorry, Emiya-kun, but you're on your own on this one. I ain't getting involved. Besides, this is way too entertaining." Beside her, Saber was deriving her own enjoyment from her Master being 'tormented' like this. Traitors. Filthy traitors, the both of them.

* * *

After managing to calm down the girls, they finally got to eat in the break room. Taiga chuckled, "You know, over at the elementary school, the principal rang the fire alarm and claimed he saw a red dinosaur wandering the hallways, hiding in a cardboard box. It even talked! How utterly ridiculous! I think the old man is finally going senile."

"Yes, because talking animals are totally not possible. Totally not," Shirou deadpanned, as he pointed at Calumon.

There was an awkward silence. Shirou could see the sweat going down Taiga's face, as the realisation hit her. "GAAAAAAHH! There's a red dinosaur on the loose! I, Taiga Fujimura-sensei, won't stop until it's locked up in a zoo!" She was swinging a shinai around wildly. Shirou was a bit freaked out, but also kind of wondering where she got the shinai from.

"Uh, Fuji-nee? We should leave that to the police," Shirou said nervously, trying to calm her down. Saber casually caught the shinai as Taiga swung it around, surprising the teacher, who was a world-class kendo champion. Taiga frowned, with a sigh, "I suppose you have a point, there..." Then came a glint in her eye as she fetched something from her bag, "But...!"

Shirou blinked, as she handed him a digital camera. Taiga grinned, "Imagine the paydirt from snapping pictures of it! You're gonna go out there, and snap some photos of it!"

"M-ME?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Shirou stammered, "You're asking me to go out and try to find a potentially dangerous and hungry dinosaur!"

"I know! Isn't it exciting!" Taiga grinned. Her brain worked... Differently, from other people's. "Get going, kiddo!"

Shirou knew this wasn't going to end well. At all.

* * *

Leaving Calumon to Sakura and Taiga, Shirou and Saber both headed down to the elementary school, not far from Shirou's own high school. Saber displayed a surprising knowledge of tracking, as she found unusual foot tracks, subtle, but visible. They lead the pair to the nearest park, a slightly forested area on the outskirts of the city. What they saw was, well, surprising.

A full-on confrontation between Renamon and the aforementioned red dinosaur. Rika looked on from the side, unaware of the presence of the newcomers, while the other tamer, Takato, was trying to plead to his partner, Guilmon, to stop. That's when Guilmon suddenly snapped out of his feral rage, and practically ignored Renamon as her "Heavy Metal" option card attack blew right past his head, and sent her flying backwards, as he rushed over to Takato like a big friendly dog. Rika ordered Renamon to attack again, despite Guilmon's proximity to Takato.

Renamon took a leap into the air. Within moments, she was intercepted, as Saber destroyed the pilebunker weapon on her hand with a single accurate strike from her invisible sword, before kicking Renamon to the ground. Shirou walked down the small hill, "Alright, that's quite enough of that."

Both Rika and Renamon flinched when they saw him and Saber, recognising them from the night before. Takato gasped, upon recognizing Shirou. "You... You're...!"

"I can't say I don't agree with him. That's enough fighting," said a boy with blue hair and an orange jacket, who also walked down the hill to their level. Beside him, was a small, cream-coloured Digimon with long ears and green markings, and a mischievous smile on his face. He walked down the hill, down to Renamon, asking, "You're strong. How many battles have you fought? Can you evolve?"

"How many Digimon are there in this world...?" Rika wondered out loud, before looking at Saber, gritting her teeth. This girl, even without armor, could beat all three Digimon with ease, and she knew it.

"Terriermon, why are you asking her those questions?" The blue-haired boy asked his partner.

"No reason. Moumantai~" the little Digimon grinned.

Dismissing her sword, Saber spoke, "There is no rhyme or reason for a fight like this. Why do you fight?"

"What are you talking about? You know nothing of Digimon. They only exist for battle, to become the stronger until they become the strongest," Rika rebuffed her. "And for what purpose do you fight for that guy, Servant? What is the 'Grail War'?"

"I fight for a far more worthy cause," Saber replied. "But that is the most I'll tell you."

"I don't get it, why make our friends and partners fight like this?" the yet unnamed boy asked Rika, who simply replied, "Friends? I don't know what you're talking about. Renamon, we're leaving."

Rika and Renamon were quick to leave the scene. Takato pointed at Saber, "And who the heck are you?! You just cut through that Heavy Metal like it was nothing! Are you a Digimon?!"

Guilmon blinked, walking over to Saber curiously, and nuzzled her hand. Saber blinked, petting him. "I am not a Digimon. I am a Saber-class 'Servant'. That is all I can say to you. I'm sorry... It's remarkable. Despite the different physical composition, your partner is still a dragon. I thought such phantasmal beasts had all but died out in this age."

Guilmon blinked again. He was unfamiliar with the concept of heroic spirits, and yet, being with this girl gave him a sense of familiarity and kinship. This was not surprising for anyone who knew the details behind Saber's history, of course. Blood of dragons also coursed through her veins, and it was one of the two creatures that symbolised her. And, he just instinctively _knew... _He grinned, trying to tackle-hug the girl, "Arturiamon!"

"H-Hey! Please, don't call me that! And get off me!" Saber panicked. How could Guilmon know her true name so easily? _Perhaps his draconic instincts __are__ that refined, despite being a mere 'youngling' by dragon standards, _she thought to herself. She was, in fact, slightly correct. But she had no idea as to the true reason... Not yet, anyway.

Shirou chuckled, as Guilmon backed off a bit, content with just nuzzling her. Takato asked the other boy, "You're Wong-kun from Class 2, right?"

"Yeah. Henry Wong," Henry nodded with a smile, extending a hand. "You're from Class 1?"

Takato nodded in response, shaking hands with him. "Takato Matsuki." He looked at Shirou, "You're from the local high school, right?"

"Shirou Emiya," Shirou introduced himself. "And this is my Servant, Saber."

Saber nodded. "A pleasure."

"You sure she's not a Digimon? She's pretty good," Terriermon remarked.

"I believe her when I say she isn't," Henry noted to his partner, who was perched on his shoulder. "But the secrecy isn't exactly building trust."

"It's a matter of life and death. Getting involved would unnecessarily risk your lives," Saber replied. "My own life is expendable."

Before Shirou could object, Takato beat him to the punch, "Wait a minute, that's not fair! You're a person, like any of us! Just because you're a 'Servant' doesn't mean-"

"Takato-kun, I think she means that she's only in this world for a single purpose, and then she disappears," Henry spoke. "Saber. You mentioned you were a 'Saber-class Servant'. Rika also asked you about a 'Grail War'. You're some kind of familiar bound to Shirou to fight in this 'Grail War', aren't you?"

Both Shirou and Saber were stunned by Henry's deduction. Takato's jaw dropped, looking at Henry, "Wait, wait, _familiar? _You mean Shirou-san is a wizard?!"

"A magus, actually," Shirou replied. "There's barely any actual 'wizards' left in this world. You're smarter than your age suggests, Henry."

"Shirou, we can't let non-magi know about the war-" Saber spoke, but Shirou raised a hand to stop her, "Saber, they're in the same boat as we are. We each have a mutual obligation to keep all this a secret, right? They can't use magecraft, but because of the circumstances, they might be targeted by other Servants for any number of reasons."

"That's true..." Saber mulled it over for a moment. "Very well. As long as they can keep it a secret..."

"I think we can do that," Henry chuckled. "We won't tell anyone if you won't."

Takato nodded with a smile, "Right! We can keep a secret or two!"

Shirou knew they were in for a wild ride...

* * *

While Shirou explained the basics of the Holy Grail War, that being a battle between Servants for the Holy Grail's wish, Henry lead the group to an abandoned shed in the park, which nobody ever took notice of. It was certainly large enough to house Guilmon, much to Takato's relief. "Finally! I never thought I'd find a good place for Guilmon to hide."

"Now I'm feeling lucky that my Servant is pretty much human instead of a large, talking reptile," Shirou noted, as he watched Guilmon play around with Terriermon. "So much easier to blend in..."

"Shirou-san, what's the difference between a 'magus' and a 'wizard'?" Henry asked. "You said there were only a few wizards left."

"Magi practice magecraft. Wizards perform sorceries, or 'true magic'," Shirou replied, sitting down against a wall. "Think of it this way – magecraft defines 'miracles' that can be reproduced by current technology. Sorcery is something that is 'impossible'. There's only five sorceries left in the world – the first is 'denial of nothingness', which is creating something from nothing, the second is operation of parallel worlds, which is dimensional travel, the third is 'Materialization of the Soul', the fourth one is unknown, and the fifth is time travel... Well, I think. Take that with a grain of salt, my dad taught me about that, and he didn't teach me much before he died."

"Makes sense, technology can't do any of those things yet, it's all in science fiction," Henry nodded.

"Sounds kinda complicated," Takato blinked. "What can you do?"

"'I can analyse structures of things, strengthen them, and I can also 'project' physical objects into existence for a limited time," Shirou said. "I'm... A rather amateur magus."

"Who cares? That by itself is really cool!" Takato grinned. "Come on, show us!"

Shirou sighed, grabbing a branch that someone could easily break with their hands. He then applied his usual technique, which was akin to forcing a hot iron rod into his body, to create a 'magic circuit' for him to use. "Trace, On."

_I am the bone of my sword..._

Those words came back into his head, as the branch strengthened in his hand. He was actually surprised it worked. Only last night it actually worked properly – more often than not, he failed miserably. He held out the branch, keeping a hold on it to keep it from going back to its original state. "Try and snap it."

Takato grabbed it, and tried to break it. However, much to his surprise, it was like trying to bend steel. The wood just wouldn't budge. Henry also had no success whatsoever, and they even tried doing it together. Takato panted, "There's got to be some kind of iron rod in it or something!" He frantically tried to break off the more fragile parts, but even they seemed so much more difficult to break. "You really are a magus!"

"It's fairly basic stuff," Shirou replied, getting up.

"I suggest we meet up tomorrow here, after school. If other Masters attempt to target you and Guilmon, Shirou and I should at least be around to check up on you both," Saber said to Takato.

"So we're friends, right?" Takato smiled.

"Yes, we are," Henry smiled. "First Digimon, then magic. The world world's going crazy, huh?"

"You have no idea," Shirou said.

Takato looked at Terriermon, "What does 'moumantai' mean, anyway?"

"No worries, no stress, take it easy~!" Terriermon grinned.

"So it's basically 'Hakuna Mutata', then?" Shirou couldn't help but chuckle. "A problem-free philosophy... Shame I can't just take that kind of view."

"Why not?" Henry asked.

"Well... I guess it's a bit embarrasing, but... I want to be a hero. A superhero, a 'hero of justice' who can save everyone," Shirou said. "It was my dad's ideal that he could never achieve before he died, and, well, I decided to take up that dream in his stead. It's a borrowed ideal... But I think it's beautiful."

"Of course it's beautiful! You don't know if it's impossible unless you try!" Takato smiled. "It's not embarrassing at all."

"Might be a bit too naïve an ideal... But I can't say it's not a nice thing to think about," Henry chuckled.

Shirou smiled, not noticing the stunned look on Saber's face. "Thank you. I'll try."

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was fairly straightforward. Takato was able to go home without worries. Shirou, on the other hand, had to deal with Taiga and Sakura, who were still fawning over Calumon, but were also reluctant to let Saber stay as well, forcing Shirou to let them sleep over as well.

However, elsewhere, as Ayako was heading home after closing down the Archery club, had decided to pass through an alleyway. Unfortunately for her, someone had been stalking her. Fortunately, the stalker was also being stalked. A woman with long, purple hair, a black outfit, and a purple blindfold dropped down behind Ayako, but she was suddenly knocked to the ground by Renamon, who immediately retreated to a safe distance. Ayako's eyes widening, also running straight out of the alleyway, opting to not ask questions as she passed by Rika, who stepped into the alleyway.

"Damn it, you let her get away!" Stepping out from behind a wall, a young man with blue hair cursed as he glared at Rika. He was _not _happy about this one bit. Shinji Matou had talked to Ayako, and he wanted to punish her. His Servant, Rider, leaped back to him. "I'll make you and your stupid fox pay for this!"

"You're kind of a crappy Master if your Servant was so easily surprised," Rika retorted. "She's not in the same league as Saber, Archer or Berserker."

Shinji's eye twitched. "Rider, kill the fox. I want that girl to myself! I'm going to make her _suffer._"

"Renamon, test her capabilities, but don't take unnecessary risks," Rika whispered to her. "Don't get yourself killed, she's still out of your league."

"Understood, Rika," Renamon nodded, as Rika slashed two option cards through her D-Arc – a 'Boost Chip' and a 'High-Speed Plug-In B', to boost her partner's overall power and speed to enable her to keep up with Rider. The fox Digimon and the Servant immediately traded blows, Renamon taking note of the unusual dagger she carried, which resembled a nail and had a very long chain attached to it. The lack of space in the alleyway forced the two fighters to leap off the walls to gain elevation so they could take advantage of the third dimension.

Renamon was able to confirm what she suspected from playing it safe, mainly dodging strikes and launching Diamond Storm attacks at her enemy – Rider was very agile. Renamon in her normal state would have no chance of matching her speed, the option card made it easier, but even then, Rider still had a major advantage. Secondly, Rider fought _dirty. _She was wearing the fox down with swift but weak strikes, and trying to use the chain to stop her from moving, but Renamon knew better than to get ensnared. She was using low-risk, high-return style fighting. This wasn't the type of fighter to play fair.

Then she realized that Shinji was moving in on Rika, and immediately kicked him to the ground, moving back to Rika, "That's as much as I can get out of her. If we force her hand, we might-"

"Say no more, Renamon. Retreat," Rika said, as she and Renamon immediately escaped the alleyway, Renamon launching a Diamond Storm at Shinji to force Rider to protect him by getting him out of the way, before she would be able to give chase.

Shinji coughed, wiping his face. "Damn that girl...! So Digimon are real, huh? I think we should do our homework on this, Rider... Let's go."

As he walked away, Rider frowned, dissipating into her spirit form, as she followed her Master.

_**To Be Continued**_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for the kind words in your reviews, guys, it's much appreciated. There's plenty of possibilities, and I'll try and explore as many as I can think of._

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

Early next day, Shirou had convinced Saber to stay at the house, telling her that he'd be perfectly safe at school. She reluctantly accepted his explanation. Unfortunately, Shirou would eventually discover this was a bad, bad idea in hindsight. Calumon wanted to play, but Saber just wanted to sleep, as she had to conserve her prana, so Calumon decided to go exploring, and promised her he'd stay out of trouble.

However, around an hour later, Saber was awoken by something licking at her face. She immediately got to her feet, prepared to attack... Only to realize it was Guilmon, whose tail was happily swaying from side to side, and he hugged her. "Arturiamon! Can we play?"

"G-Guilmon...?! How did you get in here?!" Saber spluttered, not even remotely expecting the dragon Digimon's presence.

"He climbed over the wall, culu," Calumon said, sitting on Guilmon's head. "I ran into him in the park, and he really want to find you, so, um..."

"Calumon, I told you, I need to rest," Saber frowned, looking down at the pair, "I can't afford to 'play'... And Guilmon, please, don't call me that."

"Why not? Arturia is Arturia," Guilmon frowned, nuzzling her belly. This was perfectly true, but Saber knew she couldn't let him spread that knowledge around. Shirou hadn't made the connection yet, as 'King Arthur' was, to his knowledge, a man, but others would not be so slow to realize. The best bet would be to convince him that it was not her name.

"I keep telling you, that's not my name. My name is-" Saber was interrupted by Guilmon giving her puppy-dog eyes. Oh, that is just not _fair._

She felt guilty for trying to lie to him. He knew from the bottom of his heart who she really was, and she knew it. It was amazing how childlike he was. There was something beautiful about that innocence, in Saber's eyes. She put her hands together, with a sigh. This was going to be absolutely problematic. She definitely felt a kinship with this creature. Though he was _not _a creature born of magic, somehow, he was still a phantasmal beast, even if he was just a child only a few days old. Dragons were the most powerful of phantasmal species, they could generate prana merely by breathing. By their nature, they were very dangerous, _very _greedy (though their hoards had less to do with the actual value of what they hoarded and more to do with the fact that said hoarded materials were just _shiny)_, intelligent, and feared by many. Saber herself and a couple of her knights had, in their time, slain dragons to protect the populace, but she had never had to deal with raising one. Yes, she did once take care of a lion cub, but that was quite different. Takato had no idea what he was getting into. She feared that if he raised Guilmon wrong, he could become just as dangerous as the dragons that were fought in Saber's time. But she also knew Takato was earnest and trying to do his best. "Nevermind. I apologize. Just... Do not tell anyone my real name, please. Will you promise me that, Guilmon?"

Guilmon nodded. "I promise!"

"Very well, then, I'll play with you. But nothing exhausting, okay? And you have to go back to the park when it is time for Takato to leave school, he will get worried if you are not there."

"Okay!" Guilmon nodded, with a smile, understanding as much. Saber smiled. She never had fun ever since she drew the sword from the stone... Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

In the fountain area of the park where Renamon and Saber had clashed the previous afternoon, government agents were investigating. One particular man, with blonde hair, a black suit, and sunglasses, was overseeing the operation, casually flicking a lighter's lid open and closed. Finding a Digimon card partially buried in the ground, he pulled it out, and inspected it.

However, little did he know, he was being watched from afar. A brown-haired priest looked upon the closed-off scene with interest. The man overseeing the operation in particular was most interesting to him.

* * *

When Shirou came to school, he ran into Rin... Who had looked utterly dumbfounded by his presence. He also noted that Shinji had not come to school in two days – he certainly hadn't been at the archery club the previous day.

However, someone who was indeed around, was Ayako, who came to talk to him around lunch, when he was talking to Issei. Shirou blinked, "Mitsuzuri-san? What's up?"

"I need to talk to you about something. You're probably gonna think I've gone insane, but I need someone to talk to about this," Ayako sighed, sitting down at the table in the School Council room. Issei Ryuudou, who had dark blue for both his hair and eyes and wore glasses, was very tired and was trying to sleep, but he decided to listen in anyway. "Yesterday, when I was locking up the archery range, Shinji showed up. We had an argument. When I was going home, I made the mistake of taking a shortcut through an alleyway, and was nearly attacked."

"Attacked?! By Shinji?!" Shirou's eyes widened, as he turned towards her. This, he couldn't ignore by any means.

"No, not specifically," Ayako replied. "This strange woman landed right behind me. She was about to attack me, but then someone else attacked her, and I bolted and hid. Shinji was definitely involved, though. I heard his voice, he got really angry because the ambush failed. I managed to find a hiding spot where I had a good view of the fight."

"Who was involved in the fight?" Shirou raised an eyebrow.

"That woman I mentioned, for starters. She had strange black clothing, beautiful long purple hair, and a blindfold. I gotta admit, she was _gorgeous. _Shinji called her 'Rider'," Ayako replied, crossing her arms. "The other two involved... Heh. This is the crazy part. A Digimon was the one who attacked that 'Rider' woman, and she had a partner, a younger girl with orange hair. Now, I'm not too familiar with Digimon, but I've seen her around before because some students keep inviting her to challenge her to card games. She's the 'Digimon Queen', Rika Nonaka, she's crazy good with the Digimon card game, she even gives high schoolers a run for their money. But I didn't think she was an actual Digimon 'tamer'. I bet Calumon is a Digimon, too."

"An actual, real-life Digimon, huh...? Yeah, I had similar thoughts about Calumon. Fuji-nee also mentioned that red dinosaur that turned up at the elementary school," Shirou nodded. "I can't say I don't believe you."

Ayako chuckled, "That's not all, though. Rika called Shinji a 'Master', and Rider a 'Servant'. She also mentioned a few other names – 'Saber', 'Archer', and 'Beserker'. Sounds like the names of character classes in an RPG. She and Renamon duked it out for a while, it was one hell of a match, but Renamon was clearly out of her league and was fighting defensively, though. I got the hell out of there before the fight ended so Shinji wouldn't notice I wasn't already gone."

Shirou was about to speak, but he had to give this a bit of thought. Rika had already known about Servants from her encounter with Rin and Archer. But if she knew Saber's name and also about Beserker, she must've seen the fight at the graveyard. And she had accidentally and potentially exposed the Grail War to Ayako. Thankfully, Ayako hadn't figured it out yet, and she had inadvertently revealed some very important information to him – Shinji was a Master. But then Issei suddenly spoke up. "An interesting tale, for sure. But I'm not as inclined to believe you as Emiya-kun is. But, regardless, you're making some rather serious allegations against Matou-kun."

"You know how he is, Ryuudou-kun," Ayako replied. "He's in one of his _moods. _I think it was because he tried to flirt with Tohsaka-san, and got shot down. _Hard._"

Issei chuckled, "Well, it seems that witch is good for something after all. Someone had to knock Matou off his high horse eventually. But in any case, Mitsuzuri-san, I suggest you avoid taking shortcuts on your way home, for the time being. Or, better yet, have Emiya-kun escort you."

"I wouldn't mind... Though I need to get home as soon as possible, so I don't have that kind of spare time," Shirou noted. "But, this can take priority if you insist..."

"Ahem. You owe me, remember?" Ayako smirked.

"... _Crap. _I do, don't I... Alright, I'll do it." _Sorry, Saber... I'll have to delay coming home..._

* * *

Saber, at the appointed time, took Guilmon down to the park so they could meet up with Takato. As it happened, they were slightly late, as Takato had already gotten there, and was panicking until he saw his partner, and hugged him. "Ah, Guilmon! I was so worried!"

"Sorry, Takatomon... I was playing with Saber..." Guilmon meekly apologized.

"I should've been sleeping, myself, but I decided to keep him company when he showed up at the Emiya household," Saber explained with a sigh, but then she smiled softly. "But... I suppose it was fun."

"Thank you, Saber," Takato replied earnestly. "Hey, where's Emiya-san?"

"Shirou... He's still at school, I think. I'll go meet him at the school gates," Saber smiled.

"We'll come with you! I mean, you're supposed to be making sure some Servant doesn't attack us," Takato chuckled.

"But we can't have Guilmon walking about, he'll attract attention," Saber noted.

"What's so bad about that, culu?" Calumon asked, sitting on Saber's head.

"Well, it's not like we haven't tried pretending he's a cosplayer," Takato said. "Who knows, it might work."

"No, there's no way in a million years such a plan can work! Certainly not!" Saber objected...

* * *

Shirou was waiting for Ayako to lock up the archery range. He had spent some time asking some people if they had known where Shinji had gone, and by the time he was done, the school was empty. He was ready to leave the building. But as he was about to walk down the stairs, he noticed Rin, at the top of the stairs, looking down at him, clearly angry. "Tohsaka-san? I have to go, so whatever business you have with me, can it wait? I need to escort Mitsuzuri-san home, and-"

"Without your Servant? I'm stunned. Are you even _sane?_" Rin sighed.

"Of course I'm sane. I can't turn Saber into spirit form, so there's no way I can bring her to school," Shirou replied. "By the way, Shinji's a Master, and his Servant is Rider. Mitsuzuri-san says she was nearly attacked yesterday. A Digimon saved her."

"That aside, you could just as easily skip school. You're practically making yourself an easy target like this," Rin replied, frowning. "Are you _stupid?_"

"I'm not! Masters don't fight in the open, in front of people, right? Especially not in the daytime and in a school at that."

"Then are there people here, pray tell?"

Shirou began to sweat, as the realisation hit him. The building was almost empty. There were likely only teachers on the bottom floor. They were on the third floor. Rin rolled up her left sleeve, "Exactly. I told you so many times, and you still came here to get killed."

When Shirou saw the glowing Magic Crest on her arm, he knew this was gonna _suck._

* * *

"... I cannot believe this plan is actually _working._"

Saber was dumbfounded by the display of sheer audacity Takato and Guilmon were displaying, simply by walking in broad daylight in public. There were some odd stares, but otherwise, people were none the wiser. She decided there was no point complaining, and they headed to the school gates.

However, once they arrived there, Saber frowned. Her Master was in danger. She could hear fighting on the higher floors. She sprinted towards the building as she changed into her armor, leaving Takato, Guilmon and Calumon behind and bewildered, so they immediately followed her.

* * *

"Damn it, stop running!"

Rin had been firing her Gandr Shots repeatedly like a pistol, giving chase to Shirou. So far, Shirou had managed to avoid being shot, running and dodging as he went, and even managed to get down to the second floor, only to finally be cornered in a classroom, using a table as cover as he managed to reinforce it before Rin basically tore the rest of the room to shreds with her magical projectiles. However, his magical energy had only so much, and he had to give up, reinforcing a chair leg as a makeshift weapon as he came out, expecting Rin to have given up...

However, much to his surprise, Saber was there, holding her sword to Rin's throat. "Saber...!"

"Seems you were indeed in more danger than you thought, Shirou," Saber frowned. "Shall I cut her throat?"

Then came the scream of a girl from downstairs, surprising all three of them. Shirou immediately rushed for the stairs, "Not now! Someone's in trouble!"

Saber and Rin followed him downstairs, and they found a female student unconscious on the floor in front of an emergency exit, Takato was trying to wake her up, with Guilmon by his side. He looked up at them, "We were about to catch up with you, but then we heard her scream, and she's-"

"Calm down, Takato!" Shirou checked the unconscious girl, "There's no injuries... She seems to be alright..."

"No, definitely not, she's empty inside! She's had her life energy drained! This is worse than the people who get attacked by Caster!" Rin said, checking the body, "If she isn't treated, she'll die!"

Then she realized that Takato, Guilmon and Calumon were with them. "Wait a minute! Who're these two?! Another Digimon tamer?! Gah, doesn't matter, I've got something to cure her... Close that door, will you? The wind's blowing my hair!"

Shirou looked out the door, about to close it, but then Saber shoved him aside, and deflected a sudden projectile – what looked like a dagger that resembled a black nail. "It's an enemy Servant! I'll engage her!" Then she rushed out to fight.

Guilmon snarled, following her out as well, despite Takato's objections as he followed him out. Shirou spoke, "Rin, help the girl out. I'll support Saber!"

He rushed outside, as Saber and Rider clashed, the latter retreating to the woods behind the archery range. Guilmon was launching pyro sphere projectiles, keeping the enemy Servant on her toes. Rider was using the trees to avoid direct confrontation with Saber, clashing with her and trying to ambush her. Shirou then saw a familiar figure among the trees – Shinji, who was smiling, as he tried to hide. Mitsuzuri confirmed that he was Rider's Master, so there was little doubt. "SHINJI! Stop hiding like a coward!"

"What he said."

Shinji was suddenly decked in the face, knocking him to the mouldy ground. Rika was standing there, with Renamon by her side. Shirou and Takato, having noticed this, both spoke, "The Digimon Queen...!"

Rika glanced at them, "So Saber's Master is here, too. Good. She can keep Rider busy, while Renamon takes out Guilmon!"

Guilmon, with a feral snarl, attempted to bite Renamon, who jumped back, unleashing a Diamond Storm, which barely had any affect on Guilmon. Takato spoke up, "No, Guilmon, stop it! There's no reason for you to fight!"

"Of course there's no reason! That's how Digimon are!" Rika said. "Renamon, finish it off!"

"No, he's right! There's no reason for them to fight!" Shirou said, grabbing Rika's arm. "Get your partner to back off, now!"

"L-Let go of me!" Rika snapped, throwing a punch with her free arm, which Shirou easily blocked.

"Emiya-san, don't stoop to her level! Guys, cut it out, already!"

That would be Henry, with Terriermon on his head, who had also arrived on the scene. He had managed to locate the fight via his Digivice. Shinji panicked, stumbling back away from them, "More Digimon?! What the hell is this crap?!"

Shirou frowned, letting go of Rika's arm. Rika frowned, "Stop interfering! Your small-fry of a partner wouldn't stand a chance against Renamon!"

"Geez, that's rude! You're hurting my feelings!" Terriermon said, hopping off Henry's head.

Shirou chuckled, but then he realized that Rider had thrown her dagger at his head. Terriermon jumped to knock him out of the way, but got a nasty injury for his trouble. Henry cried out, "TERRIERMON!"

Then came light from his Digivice. And before anyone knew it, Terriermon had transformed, becoming a much larger creature, taller than Saber, wore blue pants, and had machineguns on his arms, along with a belt along his torso. Henry, realizing what trouble they were in, took cover behind a tree, as did Takato. And when Terriermon, now Gargomon, started spraying bullets all over the place with glee, Shirou and Shinji also decided that taking cover _might _be a good idea. Saber and Rider were also on the defensive, finding that the Digimon's bullets were more effective than normal firearms. Shinji panicked, "You idiot! Are you TRYING to get us killed?!"

"I told him not to evolve! Damn it!" Henry grit his teeth, as he watched Saber, Rider, Guilmon and Renamon avoid the gunfire. Renamon attempted to grapple the big dog-rabbit, only to get thrown off quickly, "This is bad!"

"Why do they have to fight, culu...?" Calumon frowned, watching the fight from behind a tree.

"Oh, screw this! I'm outta here!" Shinji immediately tried to get away... However, he quickly found himself and Rika cornered against a large tree, with Gargomon's machineguns pointed at them. Rika looked visibly panicked. Shinji was practically pissing himself.

Shirou sprinted out of cover, gripping the makeshift weapon in his hand, and struck Gargomon with a strong hit to the back of the head, knocking him down, enabling Shinji and Rika to take cover again. Before Gargomon could shoot at Shirou, Guilmon tackled him to the ground with surprising strength, as Saber retreated to Shirou's side.

Shinji dusted himself off, as Rider dashed back to his side. "Tch... Whatever! We'll retreat for now, and later, we'll-"

"Or you'll _what, _Matou-kun?"

That would be Rin, who had arrived on the scene, and was giving Shinji a wicked smile. Shinji grit his teeth, "Tohsaka..."

"You know, Matou-kun, I was thinking of giving you some leniency, but now that I've heard that you tried to attack Mitsuzuri-san, that goodwill is all gone, now," Rin said, giving Shinji a foreboding smile that made him shiver in fear. "I've already called Archer. If you don't run now, I imagine you and your Servant will be both be nailed to the trees."

"D-Damn you! I'll show you, damn it!" Shinji snapped with a poorly-worded threat, as he and Rider fled the scene.

Rika glared at Rin, "You again..."

"Good afternoon, Nonaka-chan," Rin replied with a smug smile, causing Rika's eyes to widen, "and yes, I do know your name. The issue with being the 'Digimon Queen' is that it's easy for you enemies to identify you with a bit of detective work. This time, I'm going to make sure you won't get away without a memory wipe-"

"Sorry, Tohsaka, but I can't let you do that. I owe her."

Rin blinked, turning around, and freaked out when she saw Ayako leaning against a tree, looking rather bemused. "M-MITSUZURI-SAN?!"

"I told you I was going to escort her home," Shirou said flatly. "All this commotion, including you _attacking me, _I might add, would've inevitably drawn attention from anyone in the vicinity, don't you think?"

"B-B-But I-"

"I saw you heal that student with your powers. So you're a magician or something?" Ayako chuckled. "Doesn't really matter, I guess we all keep secrets..."

"Now hold on a minute! I'm not letting you walk away without-"

"So that Shinji guy is a magus, too?" Gargomon asked, doing a handstand on Henry's order. "Jeez, seems the cat's out of the bag, now..."

"Gargomon..." Henry groaned.

"YOU TOLD THEM?!" Rin roared at Shirou, now officially aggravated.

Shirou replied, wincing, "Actually, Henry here figured it out by himself, and I figured mutual secrecy would be beneficial-"

"Emiya-kun. If Saber weren't here, _I would kill you on the spot!_" Rin roared back, clenching her fists. "RIGHT NOW! Have you lost your mind?! We can't just go spreading the existence of magecraft around willy-nilly like that!"

"Tohsaka, I think you're not helping your case by mentioning more details of the thing you're trying to hide," Ayako chuckled, causing Rin to clam up and grumble something under her breath.

"Yep, she's completely lost it," Takato deadpanned. Guilmon was confused, Henry rubbed his temples, Gargomon found this amusing, and Rika and Renamon simply looked on in astonishment. This was another side of that girl they hadn't seen before.

Saber then decided to speak up. "Rin. These children would get involved sooner or later. It's better that they know what they're getting into so they can protect themselves and their partners if an enemy Servant attacks them. As well, they could prove to be valuable allies, and are more than willing to keep a secret. And if what I heard is correct, if you remove Mitsuzuri-san's memory of this, she'll be unprepared if Shinji attacks her again."

Rin sighed, conceding the point. "Alright... Fine. If Emiya-kun trusts these boys, I will... And I trust Mitsuzuri-san." She then looked at Rika, "You, on the other hand..."

"Quite frankly, I don't really _care _if magic is a thing or not," Rika said, turning around. "I'm in this to _win. _Heck, maybe I'll win the 'Grail' as well, while I'm at it."

"Then you'll be risking your life for no reason," Rin said. "Only a Master can win the Holy Grail, and it's a battle to the death. Even Masters are vulnerable. In fact, they're priority targets. Without a Master providing magical energy to them, a Servant can't stay in this world. Other Servants and Masters may not be so merciful as Emiya-kun and I."

This response unsettled Rika, remembering that she was nearly on the receiving end of a lot of bullets. However, she shook off the thought, and left without a word. Renamon simply blended into the woods, disappearing. The resulting atmosphere could be described as 'awkward'. Rin sighed. "Look... Let's just take this conversation to my house."

* * *

Takato and Henry were both in awe at the Tohsaka mansion. Shirou was nervous about actually entering the house, though he tried not to show it. It was big, western, and fancy, in short. Archer had met up with them on the way, and it gave Shirou a chance to properly size him up, and he confirmed once more that, for some reason, he just couldn't approve of him. The look of contempt Archer gave him confirmed likewise, and at least made him feel better about not liking him.

"Anyone want tea? And with milk or sugar?" Rin smiled, as they entered the living room.

"Yes, please, and neither of those." "No, thank you." "Yes, with milk, thanks." "Sure, I'll have sugar." "Milk, thank you." Those responses were from Shirou, Takato, Henry, Ayako and Saber, respectively. The Digimon didn't want tea.

Archer went to start making the tea, while the others sat down around the living room table. Rin smiled, "Now, then... How much do you guys know about the Holy Grail War?"

"Well, Shirou told us most of the basics, I think, that it's a fight for the Holy Grail, which grants one wish, there's Masters and Servants, the difference between Magecraft and Sorcery..." Takato listed off the top of his head.

"Well, I can fill in the blanks for Mitsuzuri-san later. I'm more interested in your Digimon partners," Rin said. "What was that thing that the dog-rabbit did? Some kind of metamorphosis?"

"It's called 'evolution', though, yes, it's technically metamorphosis," Henry replied. "Digimon can revert back to prior evolution levels. It takes a while for Gargomon, though. He went from his 'Child' form, Terriermon, to his 'Adult' form... Though he _promised _not to evolve. There's also the much stronger 'Perfect' and Ultimate' levels. In the west, they call them 'Rookie', 'Champion', 'Ultimate' and 'Mega', respectively."

"Erm... Sorry. It just happened," Gargomon said sheepishly.

"So the gulf in strength between Digimon and Servants is simply because the ones I've encounter so far are Adult or below," Rin mused to herself. "Archer and I have run into some 'wild' Digimon in strange fog. Even I wouldn't have much trouble eliminating them."

"So we haven't seen the stronger ones yet," Ayako summarised. "But why are Servants so much stronger?"

"Because we were legendary heroes in life," Saber replied. "'Servants' are Heroic Spirits summoned into special 'containers' prepared by the Holy Grail. These containers are the classes that each Servant is known by – 'Saber', 'Archer', 'Lancer', 'Rider', 'Caster', 'Berserker', 'Assassin'."

"Heh, I was right, it really is like an RPG, except much more real and dangerous," Ayako smiled, arms crossed as she leaned back. "Which hero are you, Saber?"

"You shouldn't ask that of her, Mitsuzuri-san. Servants have to keep their identities hidden to avoid exposing their weaknesses," Shirou replied.

"Alright, then, I'll ask something of you, then," Ayako grinned in response, "what kind of 'magecraft' are you capable of, Emiya-kun?"

"Structural analysis and reinforcement are pretty much the two I'm actually good at," Shirou replied.

"What about Projection? That goes hand-in-hand with those skills," Archer remarked, as he walked in, putting the tea down on the table. A quick sip from everyone resulted in a rather silent agreement from everyone that Archer could make a damn good cup of tea.

"Well, I can do that too, but Kiritsugu said it was a worthless skill to have," Shirou replied, taking a sip. He also had to grudgingly admit to the quality of the tea, and glanced at the three 'muggles' who clearly had no idea what Projection is. "Projection is basically the temporary creation of objects, illusions made physical."

"You'd be surprised," Archer remarked. "Why not give it a try?"

"I want to see, culu!" Calumon waddled up to Shirou expectantly. Shirou looked around at the others, who were obviously expecting a demonstration as well, including Rin, though she looked rather annoyed at him for some reason. He nodded, and held out his hand. He hadn't done this in a while, and he focused. The image of Archer's swords appeared in his mind. Maybe, if he could reproduce those beautiful swords, he could have a better chance of fighting...

Almost everyone was too focused on Shirou to notice the red triangle on Calumon's forehead glow. All except for Archer, who was attentive enough to take notice. _What the...?_

Then Shirou cried out in pain, as multiple swords suddenly and unexpectedly forced themselves out of his body. Right before, he had felt a sudden and considerable surge of prana before he could make a magic circuit. Unbeknownst to him, the prana surge had opened up a couple of the existing magic circuits in his body. The room was in uproar, as Saber rushed over to her Master in a panic, Rin was dumbfounded and also trying to help Shirou, Calumon, Takato, Henry and Ayako were horrified, Guilmon and Gargomon were both confused, and Archer was unconcerned, knowing Shirou's injuries would quickly heal. The red Servant thought to himself, _What the hell was that...?! __He couldn't have possibly tapped into the Hill by himself... That little Digimon must have supercharged him with prana, enough to accidentally manifest it, if only partially. Things just got VERY interesting..._

"What the hell was that?! Were you trying to impress us or something?!" Rin snapped, as she watched the swords disappear. Much to her surprise, Shirou's wounds were already healing quickly. "And how the hell did you use so much prana?!"

"I... I don't know! I wasn't even trying to do that!" Shirou coughed up blood. Saber inspected the healing wounds, noting to herself that she could actually feel some prana transferring to him via their link, which shouldn't normally happen in their situation, meaning his sudden prana burst was enough to temporarily force a proper link at least.

"What the heck...? Are his wounds healing by themselves?!" Ayako blinked, as she came over to check his injuries as well. "Is that Saber's ability?"

"No, I don't have such an ability by myself," Saber replied. She had figured it out. Whatever it was, it was indeed using her prana to assist Shirou's healing, but not much, it was mostly Shirou's prana fueling it. "I think I have an idea of what it is, but I would rather not disclose it. It is a conceptual weapon that was likely the catalyst for my summoning, and it's inside his body."

_And she figures it out early. Considering how I remember her using it, if she ever takes it back, she'll become unstoppable, _Archer thought to himself, crossing his arms. _That is going to be a major problem. I'm going to have to steal the damn thing before she gets the chance. _He decided to tap Rin on the shoulder, and whisper into her ear.

Rin blinked, and looked at Calumon, who looked back at her curiously. She sighed, and picked him up, "I just need to check something. Let me know if something happens." Then she took him into another room.

Archer crossed his arms, with a chuckle. "That was rather strange. How'd you screw up that badly?"

"Bite me," Shirou grit his teeth, getting back onto a chair, "I haven't done proper projection in a while."

"Heh, wow, and I thought you were incapable of animosity. I thought you were just a pacifist who couldn't hurt a fly," Archer remarked.

"Hey, if someone wants to fight me, I'll fight," Shirou grumbled.

Ayako smirked, "Man, for some reason, it feels like you two are rather alike."

"... What?" Archer and Shirou replied.

"Yeah, you guys really are not so different," Henry chuckled.

"Now wait just a minute-" Shirou objected-

"Yeah, it's like you're long-lost brothers or something," Takato smiled.

Then it just snowballed into an argument, both Archer and Shirou getting rather annoyed at each other. However, soon enough, Rin came back, and dragged Shirou off to the side, into another room. "Ugh... What the hell are you arguing about?"

"Archer's really getting on my nerves," Shirou said. "I think he's egging on Saber as well."

"Well, deal with it," Rin sighed, and then changed the subject. "I ran some tests on Calumon's prana output. I think I need to lie down. He's like a prana generator of some kind. Even he doesn't realize it, but it's there." She rubbed her temples, "When it's not active, the output isn't that much, but if someone were to figure out how to actually _use _his capabilities, no, even worse, if a _Master _could figure it out, they'd have a huge advantage in the War."

"I understand, so that's a problem," Shirou nodded.

"Also... You idiot! You shouldn't be telling other Masters what you're capable of! It's a faux pas when it comes to talking to potential enemy magi," Rin snapped at him. "You should know that a magus hides his mysteries from others. Once the mystery is revealed, enemies can exploit it."

"I... I'm sorry, I get what you're saying. I feel bad, now," Shirou sighed. "My dad taught me to be a magic user, not a magus, and that I could walk away from it at any time."

"Hmph... I can't approve of your father. He put being a father over being a magus," Rin sighed. "Look... We'll make a deal, okay? An alliance until we can deal with the other Masters, especially Shinji and Illyasviel. Plus, we need to keep the Tamers safe, and Mitsuzuri-san too. Normally I wouldn't just hypnotised them, got rid of the Digimon, and be done with it, but... Ugh."

"Archer says he smells blood on you, but you're not as heartless as he thinks," Shirou chuckled. "And I'll take that deal. I'm not very experienced, so..."

"Hey, don't think I'm doing this because I like you guys, you idiot," Rin blushed, with an annoyed expression, "I swear-"

"Oh, I know what's going on. You're a tsundere!"

Rin blinked, turning to see an eavesdropping Gargomon, who was grinning. She grit her teeth, "HEY! This is a private conversation! And what's that supposed to mean, anyhow?!"

"He means you're a mood-swinger, Rin," Henry remarked, coming in. "Anyhow... We need to go soon. I live in east Miyama, so..."

"Archer and I will escort you there," Rin smiled, but then blinked, "But why did you make your partner promise not to evolve? It is because he went nuts just before?"

"It's... A long story. Terriermon was originally from a Digimon game on my computer. We fought a Gorimon that went crazy attacking other Digimon, and we had to beat it... But when Terriermon evolved, he became just as crazed as Gorimon did," Henry sighed. "It only hurt him in the end. I only felt guilty for it, especially when he came into the real world."

"Hey, hey, it's alright, Henry," Gargomon said, extending an ear around his partner.

"You seem wise beyond your years," Shirou remarked. "You're awfully guilty about getting others hurt."

"I once seriously hurt a kid once," Henry nodded. "I vowed to never use violence as a solution if I can help it."

"I understand how you feel, I used to fight bullies when I was around your age," Shirou said. "I wanted to protect the weak."

"Yeah, you did say you wanted to be a hero," Henry smiled. "You should take Takato and Guilmon to the park. Gargomon here needs to use up energy to devolve."

"Actually, I might be able to help with that," Rin smiled. "If you want to stick around a while. If Gargomon has excess prana in his body, I might be able to drain it."

"That would be nice, thank you," Henry chuckled, and then blinked, "wait, are you saying that Servants and Digimon use the same type of energy?"

"Prana exists in all living things, some simply have more than most," Rin replied, nodding. "Saber claims that Guilmon is a phantasmal beast. I suspect Digimon are all magical creatures to some extent. That will take some experimentation to find out if that's the case, however."

"Alright. Just don't dissect me, I like being in one piece," Gargomon grinned.

* * *

That evening, after Shirou and Takato had made sure Guilmon was safe in the shed, the dragon Digimon was sleeping. However, he soon woke up, sniffing, and saw a girl with white hair standing in front of the gate. "Hehe. Aren't you the curious little thing? And I thought most magical creatures had died out."

"Hmm? Are you... A Master?" Guilmon blinked, looking at the girl curiously. He didn't recognise her as Illyasviel von Einzbern. He smiled, "I'm Guilmon! What's your name?"

"I'm Illyasviel von Einzbern," the girl smiled back. She was being genuinely curious, despite the fact that Berserker was waiting not far away. "What kind of magical creature are you."

"Guilmon is Digimon," Guilmon got up, walking over, and sniffing her face through the bars.

"H-Hey, stop it! That tickles!" Illya giggled, stepping back. "Digimon, huh? Looks like I can't have Berserker smash you just yet... I'm too curious." She looked past him, noting the massive hole Guilmon had dug out at the back of the shed. "Wow... You're rather busy in here."

"Sitting in this place is boring," Guilmon groaned. "You wanna play?"

This question caused Illya to blink... And then she smiled, opening the gate, "Sure!"

She was then tackle-hugged by the Digimon, who sniffing her face again, causing more giggles. Berserker simply watched in spirit form, without judgement on the matter. He only did as his Master ordered and protected her with his life, nothing more, nothing less. The dragon posed little threat to her, and obviously expressed no hostility whatsoever... For the moment, at least.

* * *

The next day, Shirou and Rin were rooting out the seals that made up the boundary field that threatened their school. Shinji was absent, again. Seems the knowledge that Shirou and Rin were angry at him made him stay away that day. Calumon was out and about, much to Saber's chargin, though she was content with spending her time with Guilmon.

After school, Takato was trading cards with a couple of friends of his, Kazu and Kenta, getting a Training Gibs card. Kazu grinned, "It raises your Digimon's HP and attack power!"

"Huh... I wonder if it's related to evolution..." Takato wondered, as he noticed Henry and Terriermon walk past...

* * *

"_Anomaly detected."_

_A man in the dimly-lit room flicked his lighter, as he looked up at the dome screen above, where the two female operators were working. "Is it a wild one?"_

"_Most likely. Launching tracer."_

* * *

A man in blue, his skin-tight bodysuit and hair matching, with red eyes, watched a large cloud of fog gather above the town, moving down to chase a couple of kids, one of them with one of those odd creatures on his head. "Huh... Should I take 'em out?"

"_Not now, Lancer. Observe what happens, and report back to me. It would likely be of no challenge for you, at any rate."_

"Yeah, I know... Geez, you'd think these Digimon would actually present some form of a challenge," Lancer scoffed, as he hopped from building to building.

* * *

"Why is it following us?!" Henry freaked out, as he jumped over an obstacle into a construction site that was currently unmanned. Takato had split from him, and was likely going off to fetch Guilmon and Saber.

However, soon, the fog caught up, and exploded outwards, slamming Henry and Terriermon against a wall. The fog covered the entire building. Emerging into the physical world, was a huge gorilla with a cybernetic arm cannon, roaring as it beat its chest with its fists. Henry grit his teeth, "Gorimon... Don't you recognize me?! Terriermon won't fight you ever again! Go back to your world!"

The Gorimon simply fired a blast from its cannon, forcing Henry and Terriermon to run. Terriermon stopped, "Henry, I have to fight him!"

"Terriermon, do you want to go back to living like a beast?!"

"But... But...!"

The Gorimon roared, aiming again, but Terriermon leaped, striking it in the face, and then shot it in the knee and the face with his 'blazing fire' attack. "You wanted me to fight in the past, Henry!"

"Terriermon..." Henry had no response. Terriermon was fighting valiantly, but it quickly became apparent that Gorimon's physical strength was too great. "It's just like last time..." He had flashbacks to when they last fought... When Terriermon evolved. He didn't want that to happen again.

"Heh. You look like you're in a spot of trouble, kid."

A red spear stabbed into Gorimon's arm, causing it to roar in pain. Henry gasped, and Terriermon moved back, the attack giving him a breather. Lancer landed in front of the gorilla, removing his spear, "You're worried about your partner losing control? That's a problem you can't just run and hide from. I know how your partner feels... We don't truly feel alive unless we're fighting!"

Before the gorilla could retaliate, Lancer struck him right in the heart, causing him to burst into data particles. Lancer spun his spear, the fog dissipating, "And that takes care of that."

"You're... You're a Servant! You're Lancer, aren't you?" Henry frowned, as Terriermon retreated back to his side.

"You're quick on the upkeep, I can tell you that," Lancer grinned. "You've got a lot of potential, but you gotta know when to cut loose and start fighting for real. Maybe you could've handled that on your own, who knows. But I can sense Saber coming for my head, so I'll make myself scarce. Seeya!"

He leaped out of there, leaving Henry to ponder his words, as his friends arrived a bit too late to help...

* * *

"Cú Chulainn the Hound of Ireland, huh...?"

Henry, at home, was researching Lancer's legend on the internet. Saber had informed him that Lancer had exposed himself by using the special ability of his Noble Phantasm, _Gáe Bolg_, the spear that could pierce an enemy's heart without fail, even reversing cause and effect for the sure kill. Saber had decided that Guilmon and Terriermon would benefit from proper training against a Servant, and included them in her sparring matches with Shirou, and examined Takato and Henry's cards, providing advice on what situations to use them, and how. Calumon was certainly in safe hands, Henry knew. Saber was the type who was stern but fair, and it was difficult not to listen to her. She reminded him of his tai-chi teacher.

"He was a pretty interesting guy," Terriermon smiled, sitting on the desk. "He must really like fighting."

"He was a man who lived and died by the spear," Henry nodded in agreement. "I wonder what wish he has to participate in the Grail War... Or maybe he's here just to find a worthy opponent..."

"Henry... You know he might fight us one day, right?"

"Yeah... I know. Then all bets are off. The Holy Grail War is a fight where human lives are in danger. If we want to get involved, we can't just try and talk our way out of it. We'll have to be ready to fight, as much as it pains me to say it."

* * *

"Hmm. Another Digimon defeated. No closer to evolution..."

Rika crossed her arms, as she watched Renamon easily defeat an Evilmon which had appeared that night. "Honestly... These Digimon are all weak."

"Does it give you pleasure, slaughtering those creatures, hmm?"

Rika and Renamon turned towards the figure that approached. The brown-haired priest who had been spectating the fight smiled at the girl. There was just something _off _about the man, and Rika could feel it. She scoffed, "They're just Digimon. They live to fight. It's not my fault they're too weak. Who the hell are you?"

"I am Kirei Kotomine, the supervisor of the Holy Grail War, which you two have gotten yourselves involved in," Kotomine chuckled. "I'm here to make you an offer – come to the church, and you can receive sanctuary from both Masters and Servants. I will forbid them from harming the both of you."

"Hell no. I got involved for my own reasons. I'm not backing out until Renamon becomes stronger than anyone, Digimon or Servant," Rika replied, glaring at Kotomine.

"Amusing. You really think this is some kind of game, don't you?" Kotomine smirked, as he stepped forward, suddenly drawing a trio of strange handles, which suddenly formed into sharp blades. Renamon moved to intercept, launching arrowheads at the priest, but he easily deflected them, and knocked her down with sudden, swift strikes, being an extremely proficient practitioner of bajiquan. The attacks knocked the air right out of Renamon's lungs, causing her to cough up blood. He then followed up by nearly slicing Rika's throat open, barely stopping his blades right before her neck.

Rika's eyes were wide, and she was understandably terrified. Kotomine smiled, "This is merely a taste of what you're dealing with, miss Nonaka. This is no game. If you get involved in the Holy Grail War, you may perish. My offer is still open. Come to the church, or take the risk. It's your choice, in the end."

He retracted the blades, and casually walked away, as Rika fell on her bum, shocked and terrified out of her mind. The fake priest couldn't help but smirk, having gotten a massive kick out of seeing the girl's terrified face, and the physical agony her partner suffered.

This will be a _very _interesting Grail War, indeed. And it excited him to no end.

_**To Be Continued**_


	3. Chapter 3

_For the record concerning the general ballpark of where the Servants lie in terms of power compared to Digimon, It depends on the actual Servant, but considering Heroic Spirits are beings who generally have extensive knowledge, combat experience and a lot of power, many of whom are often famed for incredible deeds, that alone would elevate them quite highly, but there's also the Noble Phantasms, which are generally extremely powerful, and, at times, extremely broken – I mean, come on, a lance that reverses cause and effect to hit an enemy's heart without fail, or a dagger that can negate any kind of magic? That's just naming a couple. And then there's Gilgamesh, who is all kinds of broken just by himself._

_Also, Digimon attack descriptions tend to be hilariously over-exaggerated. I tend to treat them like I do certain spells or summons in a Final Fantasy game, entirely for show and not nearly as destructive as they seem (such as a certain final boss' "destroy the entire solar system" meteor attack, for example). The various Digimon anime and manga usually just make said attacks much more reasonable. I mean, Tactimon has a sword that can supposedly destroy a star, which would probably make him the most powerful Digimon ever by sheer scale, but it's not even remotely the case in Xros Wars even after it was unsealed. Just saying._

_Also, I think I went seriously overboard with the word count on this thing. Fourteen-thousand words? Holy cow. Maybe I should've split this thing in half... Oh, well._

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

That evening was far more eventful than anyone could've expected.

Shirou would find himself sleepwalking to Ryuudouji Temple, bound by a spell cast by the mysterious female Servant, Caster, who planned to take his Command Seal. However, Saber arrived to fight her gatekeeper, the purple-garbed samurai, Assassin, also known as Sasaki Kojiro. While those two were busy, Archer attacked, saving Shirou's life, but after driving off Caster, tried to kill him as well, only to be interrupted by Assassin, who allowed Shirou and Saber to escape while he battled Archer, leaving Shirou with the image of Archer's yin-yang swords, which captivated him, and words that would haunt him for the rest of the evening.

"_Drown in your ideals, and die."_

* * *

Renamon was out at night, walking along telephone lines... Until...

"Hey, hey! So you're the useless Digimon who can't be strong without a human, huh?"

Renamon leaped forward, turning around towards the figure on the street lamp. A black, imp-like Digimon was lying on it, smirking. "I can't believe you're so pathetic. Digimon who let themselves be commanded by humans are all pathetic! I, Impmon, on the other hand, am living the high life!"

"So you say. I'm not inclined to believe you," Renamon said, standing up.

"I'm also inclined to say otherwise."

Rider was standing on a telegraph pole, looking down at the imp Digimon, who snarled, "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Seems I'm not the only one out and about, Rider," Renamon remarked.

"You see to have the 'presence concealment' ability, like an Assassin. Tracking you down was surprisingly difficult," Rider replied. "My Master still wants a rematch with you and your Tamer."

"Maybe after I evolve, my Tamer could humour his request."

"HEY! Don't just ignore me like that!" Impmon got up, growling, right before being tied up by Rider's chains, and tossed away. "GAH!"

"Hey, ladies, don't go antagonising him like that," spoke a figure who caught Impmon in mid-air. Lancer let him down on a wall, looking up at Rider and Renamon. "You're both looking very cute tonight, by the way. Granted, I'm not into foxes, that's just not my thing."

"Lancer," Rider acknowledged him. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm just out and about, that's all," Lancer chuckled, standing on the wall in a relaxed fashion. "Now, I don't really like my own Master, but humans aren't bad. You just need to get to know them better, that's all."

"Hey, I didn't give you permission to help me out!" Impmon scoffed. "You strange Digimon..."

"Hey, we're _Servants, _there's a difference, pal," Lancer chuckled, poking him with the blunt end of his spear. "I understand wanting to hang out with the ladies, but it seems they don't want you around. How about we go out on the town, just the two of us? I know a good place for drinking."

Impmon crossed his arms, thinking about it... "Eh, what the heck. Getting drunk doesn't sound too shabby. Lead the way."

Lancer started leaping away, with Impmon following him as best he could. Renamon and Rider were left confused, but they decided to simply part ways, having no intention of engaging in conflict this evening.

* * *

Impmon originally didn't know what to think of Lancer, at first. He would've normally dismissed him as no better than Renamon, but then he learned about the Command Seal that bound Lancer to his Master's will, and Lancer's distaste for said Master. And _then _they found a good place where they could get a few drinks. And _then _they decided to screw around in the park.

Impmon burst into laughter as Lancer used one of his runes to light a small, harmless fire to scare off a couple making out by the pathway, as they hid in the bushes. "Oh, wow, you're good at this! That was great!"

"Hey, I'm good at everything," Lancer chuckled, with a drunken slur. He leaned back against a tree, and glanced at the Digimon next to him, "so. Where do you Digimon come from, anyway?"

"The Digital World! It's kill or be killed out there! The winners get stronger, and the losers get their data absorbed!" Impmon grinned, with just as much of a slur as the Servant. They had... A bit too much to drink that evening. "I came out here because there's not much competition, ya know? I can do whatever the heck I want!"

"Well, as far as competition from Digimon is concerned, you're not wrong," Lancer grinned, "but you gotta compete with mages, Dead Apostles, and whatever phantasmal creatures are still out there. Mainly with the first two. Most magi would experiment on you if they got their hands on you, and wouldn't really care about whether you're alive or dead, as long as they can get something useful out of ya."

Impmon shivered. "Sheesh, what a bunch of wackos."

"Depends on the magus, but yeah," Lancer laughed. "They all want to get to the Root of all things, and they'll do whatever they need to do to achieve that end. The ones that actually come back return with true magic, the ability to do the impossible. I don't really care, myself, as a Heroic Spirit, I'm already connected to the Root, in a way – when this body disappears, the information I've gained returns to the Throne of Heroes, where my Heroic Spirit can read it like a book. All I want is a good fight. Honestly, the Digital World sounds like it'll be right up my alley."

"Heh, I can respect that," Impmon grinned. "I'm gonna evolve, and become stronger than anyone else!"

"When that happens, I want to take you on in a good fight. Deal?" Lancer smiled, extending a hand out to him.

"Deal," Impmon chuckled, shaking the Servant's hand.

Then he choked, quickly throwing up in the bushes. Definitely way too much to drink.

* * *

"So you figured out where two other Servants are, huh?" Takato asked, as everyone in the gang gathered out in the park shed after school – including Shirou, Rin, Ayako, Henry, their Digimon, and Saber. Archer was nowhere to be seen, probably because Rin told him to stand guard outside, and partly because he attacked Shirou the night before.

"Caster is extremely dangerous, and Assassin's swordsmanship is incredible," Saber said. "None of you should approach Ryuudouji Temple for the time being. Shirou and Rin are going to investigate whether Caster's Master is at the school."

"That goes without saying. Caster is Medea, and Assassin is Sasaki Kojiro, an extremely dangerous combination," Henry said. "Did Shinji show up at school?"

"No. Sakura hasn't seen him, either," Shirou said. "Perhaps he's staying at home for the time being. He doesn't want to fight us."

"But if he's not a magus, that doesn't make sense, how is he giving prana to Rider?" Ayako asked.

Rin thought about it... "That's a good question. Perhaps he's letting her feed off the townspeople..."

"And that's something we can't condone by any means. We have to stop him," Takato frowned.

"Moumantai," Terriermon grinned. "The moment he shows his stupid face, we'll trounce him!"

"That guy is probably more interested in Nonaka-chan right now," Rin chuckled. "He got humiliated by her and Renamon twice in a row, now."

"Speaking of, that girl is cold as ice. She seems to be treating this whole thing like a game," Henry nodded to her. "But when she was faced with Gargomon's guns..."

"I think she's just in denial about the reality of the situation," Ayako noted. "Digimon are living creatures, and she's going out of their way to kill them. She must be having some deep-seated problems to be so wilfully ignorant."

"I saw her and Rin in a dream, actually... Right before all this started, when Guilmon was still an egg," Takato noted. "Shirou was in it, too."

"Huh, so you do remember that dream," Shirou blinked.

"W-Wha... A dream?! When did this happen?!" Rin looked at Shirou, bewildered.

"The night before Lancer stabbed me in the chest and Saber appeared," Shirou replied, before noting dryly, "seeing Archer and Renamon fight didn't exactly prepare me for that."

"The both of you must've seen events after they happened... Must be because of your circumstances," Rin mused. "The conceptual weapon inside Shirou, and Guilmon's sensitivity towards other Digimon... Not terribly useful, though. I wish you could've foreseen Illyasviel attacking us, otherwise we could've taken her by surprise."

"Illyas... viel?" Guilmon blinked. He then smiled, "Illyasviel! She's fun! She plays with me at night!"

"WHAT?! Are you sure we are talking about the same Illyasviel?! White hair, red eyes?" Saber asked, as she, Rin and Shirou immediately went into a panic.

"Uh-huh! I could feel her Servant nearby, but he just stood around and watched while we played," Guilmon smiled, his tail swishing from side to side.

"Who is Illyasviel?" Terriermon blinked.

"Illyasviel von Einzbern. She's one of the Masters in the Holy Grail War. She tried to kill us the night I became a Master," Shirou frowned. "She calls me 'Onii-chan' for some strange reason."

"Shirou, is she your long-lost sister or something?" Henry raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't know, Kiritsugu never mentioned having a child, illegitimate or not." Shirou's response made gears turn in Saber's head. _Hmm... __I wonder..._

"At any rate," Rin said, "I'm confused about why Illyasviel hasn't attacked Guilmon. But we do have an opportunity to confront her, tonight."

"How about now?" Archer appeared in front of the shed, "She's coming. And she knows we're here."

Cue mental alarm bells, as everyone rushed out front. Ayako immediately hid behind a nearby tree, well out of harm's way. Saber's armor was already on, as they saw Illyasviel, standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at them with a cold smile. They could sense Berserker's imposing presence right behind her. It was a stand-off. "So you are here, Onii-chan. I had a feeling you would be."

"Illyasviel. Does the name 'Irisviel' mean anything to you?" Saber asked.

Silence. Everyone on both sides were perplexed, sans Saber. Illya blinked, and then pouted, "Y-You shouldn't know that name! You shouldn't remember _anything _from the last War!"

"Actually, that's not strictly true," Archer chuckled, "Heroic Spirits _do _receive information gained from their physical incarnations, but those memories are essentially like something one reads out of a book, rather than something more personal."

"My circumstances are... _Unique. _So that does indeed confirm my suspicions," Saber asked sternly. "If I recall, the little girl from ten years ago should be eighteen years old at this time. But I suppose, seeing as how you're an Einzbern homunculus like your mother..."

"Sh-Shut up! You and papa betrayed her by destroying the Grail!" Illya snapped, showing her childish side, pointing straight at Shirou. "Kiritsugu abandoned me for HIM!"

"... You lost me. Saber, what is she talking about?" Shirou blinked, looking at his Servant.

"Illyasviel is your adopted sister. She is the biological child of Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel von Einzbern, the homunculus created to serve as the container for the Grail during the Fourth War," Saber replied. "Kiritsugu was my Master in the previous war. He ordered me to destroy the Grail, when we were on the verge of victory."

"Oh. Huh."

Beat. "WAIT, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTT?!" Shirou's jaw dropped. Rin was equally bewildered. Takato and Henry were also surprised and confused.

"Oh, well, the secret's out, now," Illya gave off a disturbing grin. "I'll just stop screwing around and kill all of you... Except for you, Onii-chan. I've got something _special _in mind."

"Moumantai." Terriermon grinned, as he walked down the steps, stopping in front of Illya. "You're family, right? You don't have to fight him."

"B-B-But I-" Illya spluttered, looking down at Terriermon. Despite her age, she was still, emotionally, as old as she looked, and it was not easy for her to resist simply hugging the fuzzy dog-rabbit in front of her.

Then Calumon hopped up on top of Terriermon's head, his ears spreading out wide. "Can we just play? Please, culu~?"

"Illyasviel... Play?" Guilmon stopped right behind them, his tail wagging, despite Takato trying to call him back.

Illya pouted, and then sighed, grumbling, "Stupid adorable Digimon... Alright. We'll play."

She was then hug-tackled by all three of them. Rin and Saber were surprised, while Henry and Takato couldn't help but smile, as did Ayako, who didn't feel the need to hide. And then Shirou walked down the stairs, picking up Illya's hat, which fell off her head, and handed it to her. "I believe you dropped this, Illya-chan."

Illya sat up, putting her hat on. "Onii-chan... Um... I'll spare you just this once, you hear me? Next time, we're enemies," she tried to sound tough, but in this situation, it just fell flat.

"I really don't want to fight you, Illya. And call me Shirou," her adoptive brother chuckled. "You're from another country, right? Kiritsugu was often travelling when he was still alive. He must've been trying to see you again, before he died. I may be a Master, but I don't want to fight people I can be friends with."

Illya stared in amazement. This information contradicted her grandfather's claims. She could only wonder which was the truth and which was fiction. But he was being nice to her, for a start. She smiled, and hugged him. "Well... We'll see. I'll trust you. For _now._"

For Archer, who looked on as the others congregated at the bottom of the stairs, this was strangely nostalgic. Taking on Illya directly had never been in his consideration. Berserker, on the other hand, still, standing beside her as her loyal bodyguard, unseen to the naked eye, was far more of a threat. The Berserker-class' Mad Enhancement would normally make such a Servant difficult to control. But though his madness had its drawbacks, as Illya's Servant, he was loyal and unquestioning. So as long as they maintained a peace with Illyasviel, there wouldn't be any trouble... Well, he hoped, anyway.

* * *

Kirei Kotomine went to check on a certain Servant who lived in one of the private rooms in the Church. Gilgamesh, the golden-haired; red-eyed King of Heroes was casually drinking wine at his private table, in deep contemplation. He smiled upon hearing the knock at the door. "You may enter."

Kotomine opened the door. "Gilgamesh. Do you have any thoughts on the current circumstances?"

"I can't say I'm not fascinated. Whoever created such interesting creatures deserves praise, and you know I don't say that lightly, Kotomine," Gilgamesh chuckled, taking a sip of his wine. He only drank quality wine, but thanks to his 'Golden Rule' skill, acquiring funds to buy the stuff was a trivial matter. "That girl you confronted last night... Rika Nonaka, was it? She has drive, but hasn't found the means to get where she wants to be. What of the hound scouting things out for us?"

"I let Lancer spend the evening getting intoxicated with that 'Impmon', and they spent the rest of the night scaring couples in the park. Shame I could not be there myself to witness it, but seeing it through his eyes is good enough," Kotomine chuckled, as he sat at the table. "Normally I would not allow him to do such a thing, but as a means of gaining a better insight into Digimon, well..."

"Fair enough. But that dog should not be getting drunk in the middle of a war. It's disgraceful," Gilgamesh took another sip, "and before you say a word, the King can get as plastered as much and whenever he damn well pleases, thank you very much."

"As you say," Kotomine smiled. "And as for Saber..."

"Oh, I know it's her. There's no mistake. We're not talking some other copy of her spirit, she's returned, in time for me to claim her," Gilgamesh smirked. "I have no intention of allowing any of those mogrels to take my prize. And if they try... Well, they'll have to answer to the King."

* * *

Elsewhere, in the late afternoon, Rika Nonaka was walking home from school. Ever since the encounter the night before, she was not remotely at ease. Renamon had been defeated by that man so easily, who was clearly no simple man of the cloth. Were all the Masters deadly as he was? She had little to go on. But the fact that Renamon didn't evolve to become strong enough to face down these enemies frustrated her to no end.

However, those thoughts evaporated from her mind, when she saw a dome of fog emerge in a street not far from there. The 'Digimon Queen' part of her brain switched on fully, and with a predatory grin, rushed home as fast as she could, greeting her grandmother as she jogged to her room, and then changed to her casual outfit. The Nonaka household was Japanese-style, meaning she lived in Shirou's neighbourhood, not that she knew it. "Renamon. A Digimon has appeared. Let's go take it down."

She didn't need to turn around to look. She _knew _her partner was nearby, and on the move. And she left the house, calling out that she was going out for a bit, and began to head down to the fog dome, in a small backlot with plenty of trees. Traversing the fog was made easier by the use of sunglasses, and she managed to get inside. The atmosphere was unsettling. Webs were all over the place, mainly in the trees.

And the spider that made them was being strangled by a familiar chain. Rider was on its back, slamming her heel into its back, wordlessly glancing at the girl before driving the nail straight through the Dokugumon's head, killing it instantly. Rika was not surprised by this. What she _was _surprised by, was the fact that Rider suddenly absorbed the creature's data into her body. "No way... That's-"

"Not possible? On the contrary, Nonaka-chan, what's 'not possible' isn't known until you try," remarked a gloating voice in the fog, obviously Shinji. "Digimon absorb the data of defeated opponents to get stronger, correct? Well, I had a thought... My Servant has a monster alignment. She may not be a 'digital' monster, but I thought, maybe she could absorb Digimon data. And what do you know, it works! I don't know how or why, but I don't really care. I'll have her absorb your partner, and you'll be alone and defenceless!" That last sentence was accompanied by maniacal laughter.

Rika's eyes widened, as Rider landed on the web, and then threw her nail at Rika's arm. Renamon immediately shoved her partner out of the way, having appeared from out of the shadows, and knocked the nail away, before launching her arrowheads at the Servant. Rider was on the offensive, launching webs from her arm to stop the arrowheads, before spraying her with poison gas. Renamon cried out in pain, collapsing onto one knee. Rider then went for Rika, attempting to grab her, but Renamon kicked her out of the way, and the pair wrestled and grappled with each other. However, Rider came out on top, slamming Renamon into a tree, and spraying her with webbing.

"Rika... Run...!" Renamon spoke weakly, as she tried to free herself from the web.

"I can't do that! Card Slash! Snimon!" Rika was surprised that Renamon had actually risked her life for her, but she focused on the battle, and slashed a card through. Renamon was outclassed, and she knew that she had little option but to provide support with cards to try and even the odds.

Renamon's arms changed into large sickle-like appendages, slicing through the webbing with ease, before launching energy slash projectiles at Rider, who deflected the strikes with ease with her nail, before stabbing Renamon in the arm, wrapping her in the chains with inhuman speed, and then repeatedly slamming her against the ground, throwing her down near Rika. She tore out the nail, and threw it at Rika again, but Renamon got up to take the hit, crying out in agony as the blade pierced her back. Rika looked her partner in the eyes, all too surprised. "Renamon... Why?!"

"Because... You're my partner." Renamon then collapsed into Rika's arms. "Rika... Run... Please..." She then lost consciousness. Nobody had noticed that Calumon had approached the fight, looking glum at the scene before him.

"Renamon... Get up! Renamon... RENAMON!" Rika's mind was more or less in a complete mess right now, as tears emerged from her eyes. She didn't want to run. Her partner was likely about to perish, all for her sake, and there was nothing she could do about that. She shut out her cynical side, which told her to just abandon her and get a new, stronger partner. She needed Renamon!

Then Rika's Digivice shone with an incredible light, and Renamon began to glow lightly. Rider simply smiled softly. The display of emotion she just saw was proof enough that Rika was not as cold as she tried to look, that she had a heart... Unlike her own Master.

**DEBUG  
****debug complete, errors corrected  
****EXECUTE**

"Renamon, evolve to... Kyubimon!"

Standing on four legs, as the light faded, in Renamon's place, was a nine-tailed fox, feet and the tips of her tails glowing with mystical flames. Her eyes narrowed, as she launched fireballs from the tips of her tails, burning away the webs around the arena, and also rendering any attempt of Rider's to use webbing utterly useless. Rika calmly slashed speed and power cards into her Digivice. Kyubimon immediately moved forward, her body covered in flames, said flames forming the shape of a dragon's head. "Fox Flame Dragon!"

Rider grit her teeth, as she tried to dodge the flames, but Kyubimon was surprisingly fast, and had enough experience to be able to try and force her opponent into a corner. And to boot, she didn't realize where she was moving in relation to her Master, Shinji, who was immediately freaking out as he realized they were coming right before him. Rider realized at the last moment, shoving Shinji out of the way, but he accidentally dropped something in the process. The flame dragon slammed into Rider and the object – a strange book, which incinerated on contact. Rider was sent tumbling, crashing to the ground, putting out the fire, but also leaving her injured.

Then she realized that Kyubimon wasn't going to let her get an opportunity to rest. More fireballs came at her, and she dived out of the way, before grabbing Shinji. "We must leave, now."

"B-B-But the book...!" Shinji stammered, as he was carried away by Rider, who leaped away, rapidly escaping despite Kyubimon's attempts at pursuit.

Kyubimon went back to Rika, who smiled. "I evolved. The evolution we've both been working so hard towards..."

"I know," Rika smiled, reaching out to her. "That was amazing."

"It's because we're partners." This gave Rika pause, before Kyubimon asked her, "do you know what that means?"

A brief silence, giving Rika a moment to contemplate those words, before feeling the fox's fur, "Yeah, I do. A little..."

"Tch... Damn it. This is why I hate tamers." Watching from a nearby tree, was Impmon. And Lancer was sitting on another branch. "What a load of crap."

"Heh, I don't really see what's the problem, but whatever. That girl is cute, but she's way too young," Lancer chuckled. "Soooooo. Wanna get drunk again and scare couples in the park?"

Impmon thought about that suggestion a bit. "Eh, what the heck, it can't hurt. Might as well have a little alcohol to kill this bad mood of mine."

* * *

Illya had eventually decided she had to leave, said her goodbyes, and left with Berserker. Rin didn't trust her one bit, but Archer calmed her down. They were not prepared for what would come next, however.

As they passed by a water tunnel under construction on their way to Shirou's house, part of Guilmon's body began to fizzle with static, causing Takato to freak out and pull him away. Takato gasped, "what was that?!"

"Hmm..." Terriermon stretched out his ear, and as he expected, it also began to fizzle in the same general vicinity. He pulled it back, "It's happening to me, too."

"I suspect it's some kind of magical anomaly," Archer said, as he also discovered his body body reacting to the boundary of whatever it just happened to be. "It seems to be able to affect Servants, as well."

"So Guilmon isn't just going to disappear all of a sudden? Oh, thank goodness," Takato panted. "I was really, _really _worried, for a second there."

"Guilmon isn't going anywhere!" Guilmon grinned, hugging his partner.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't affect normal humans," Rin mused, making her own examinations. "Judging by the proximity, the source must be in the tunnels. Takato, Henry, I'd advise keeping your partners well away from here until we can properly identify and deal with it."

"Right, don't go near the weird thing in the water tunnels, got it," Takato chuckled.

Shirou spoke, "Tohsaka, what're you planning to do?"

"Let me worry about that," Rin said. "I've got to take Mitsuzuri-san and Henry home..."

"Fair enough," Ayako chuckled. "Say hi to Fujimura-sensei when you get home, Emiya-kun."

"Alright, I will," Shirou chuckled. Saber said nothing, though a small smile emerged on her face.

* * *

"I'm home!" Takato called out, as he walked through the front door of his parent's bakery. His parents already knew he had briefly stayed around at Shirou's place for dinner (and to train Guilmon, but they obviously didn't know that). Saber waited outside. As Takato and Shirou came to the front counter, there was a girl there, who was just buying bread, and turned around, "Oh, Takato!"

"Oh, hi, Katou-san," Takato smiled, "this is Shirou Emiya, he's a friend. Shirou, this is Jeri Katou."

Shirou looked over Jeri briefly. She was a girl Takato's age, with brown eyes and shoulder-length brown hair, with a ponytail on the left side with a green hairclip. She wore a yellow shirt under a green dress. On one hand, she carried a yellow dog-like sock puppet. "Ah, pleased to meet you." _How does this girl remind me so much of Sakura?_

"Oh, hello!" Jeri smiled at the pair, "hehe, Takato-kun, I didn't know you make friends with high-schoolers."

"Emiya-san is trustworthy enough and hardworking, he's a good example for Takato to follow," Takato's mother called out. "Even if he does live with a rather strange adult..."

"Mom..." Takato sighed. He and Shirou had to agree that Taiga was indeed one weird adult, though. Jeri simply giggled in response.

Mr. Matsuki smiled, as he saw Shirou, "Ah, Emiya-san, thanks for watching over Takato. Things are getting more dangerous out in the streets lately."

"It's no problem, Matsuki-san," Shirou replied. "How's the business going?"

"Oh, quite well," Takato's mother spoke, as she came out from the back, "and what about your home and school life, Emiya-san? Fujimura-san isn't giving you too much grief, I hope."

"Hey, now, Fuji-nee wouldn't do that," Shirou chuckled. "And things are going fine on my end, thank you."

Mrs. Matsuki looked past him, spotting Saber by the entrance, "Hey, who's that girl? She's beautiful."

"Oh, she's an acquaintance of my father's, she came from overseas. She's staying at my place for the time being," Shirou explained.

"Ah, yeah, Kiritsugu-san did like to travel a lot, didn't he?" Mr. Matsuki chuckled. "Well, any friend of Kiritsugu-san is a friend of ours. He always kept good company, including the Fujimuras."

_I thought you were aware that Fuji-nee's grandfather is a Yakuza boss, _Shirou thought to himself; he would've said it dryly if he had said it out loud. Now that he thought about it, considering the company she grew up in, it was mystifying how Taiga turned out the way she did. Then again, her grandfather, Raiga Fujimura, was somewhat eccentric, himself, and even paid Shirou to fix up his motorcycle from time to time.

"Oh? You knew Shirou-sempai's dad?" Takato blinked.

"Yeah, he was a frequent customer when he wasn't travelling overseas," Mr. Matsuki chuckled. "Unkempt black hair, brown eyes, black coat... You were too young to remember him, though. He passed away five years ago. For some reason, the coroners went over his body for a couple of weeks before they could allow him to be buried. They couldn't figure out what killed him."

"Huh..." An image of a man of that exact description flashed in Takato's mind. He didn't notice Jeri's frown upon listening in about the fact that Shirou's father had died five years prior. _Thing is... I do remember him. Heck, now that I think about it, he occasionally used to come in with Shirou, too... Why do I remember him so vividly?_

"WOOF!" Jeri's puppet suddenly startled Takato, and the girl giggled, performing her amateur ventriloquist act, though one can't help but think she was hurriedly trying to break away from the current topic, "no point thinking about such things! Can't change the past, ya know!" She then began to walk out of the store, "I have to get home. Bye!"

"A-Ah, bye, Katou-san," Takato smiled, blushing a bit, and then looked at Shirou, "thanks for the escort, Emiya-sempai."

"No problem, Takato-san. Take care," Shirou smiled, leaving the shop, and started walking down the street with Saber.

It didn't take long for Saber to suddenly strike up a conversation. "Shirou, I think Katou-san has deeper issues."

"Hmm? What makes you think that, Saber?"

"I noticed her expression and body language when the subject of Kiritsugu's death was brought up. It was a subject she was obviously uncomfortable with, and tried to change the subject as soon as she had an opportunity," Saber replied. Now that Shirou thought about it, Jeri wasn't exactly at ease with the subject. Probably less to do with Kiritsugu and more to do with the general topic of death. His Servant continued, "and that puppet of hers... I can't help but suspect it's some sort of coping mechanism."

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised, myself," Shirou noted. "She seemed awfully like Sakura... Except more upbeat, and less shy..."

"Hmm." Saber said nothing on that remark, simply thinking about it.

* * *

Rin and Henry had arrived at the latter's rather large apartment. Archer was in spirit form, and Terriermon was acting as a plush toy. Henry smiled, as he opened the door, "thank you, Tohsaka-san."

"It's not a problem, Wong-kun," Rin smiled softly, but before she could turn around and leave, Henry's father came to the door.

"Ah, Henry, who's this?" The adult man resembled his son quite a bit, aside from his glasses, and he blinked, looking over Rin, and then smiled, "Oh, you're Rin Tohsaka, aren't you? I'm Janyu Wong, Henry's father."

"I am. I'm surprised that you'd recognise me," Rin blinked. "Have we met, Wong-san?"

"I do remember you when you were younger," Janyu chuckled. "Your father used to be an investor in some of my projects. He seemed like an old-fashioned man, but he recognised the economic worth of technology to this city's growth. I was honestly quite surprised to hear of his sudden death, and your mother's condition before she also passed away."

"Yes, my father did have quite the stake in Fuyuki's growth. I'm rather hopeless with technology, myself," Rin brushed one of her hair-tails aside, "now that I'm old enough to take care of my family's estate, getting back the properties that fake priest sold off is a pain. He seriously messed up when managing them." _Seriously, I need the money. Jewel magecraft is expensive!_

"Ah, yes, I did hear that Kotomine-san was your caretaker of sorts," Janyu nodded. "At any rate... Would you like to come inside? I can't say I don't approve of my son making friends with a model student like yourself."

"I... What? Well... Alright, I suppose so," Rin smiled, following Henry and his father inside. Rin was quickly introduced to the family, including Henry's mother, Mayumi, and his little sister, Suzie. Of course, Henry knew the whole 'model student' thing was merely a 'mask' of sorts that Rin wore in public.

Speaking of whom, Suzie was delighted when she saw Terriermon. "Can I pway with Twerriermon, Henry? I want to dress up Pwetty Pwincess Pwants!"

"A bit later, Suzie. I'm gonna show Tohsaka-san my room, first," he smiled, leading Rin into his room, and closing the door, enabling Terriermon to hop off and onto the bed.

Rin was giggling at the notion of Suzie playing with Terriermon like a stuffed doll with dress-up clothes. "'Pretty Princess Pants'?"

"Shaddap," Terriermon grumbled, not wanting to speak a word of it.

"Anyway, Tohsaka-san, you said you were hopeless with technology, right?" Henry asked. A quick look at his room revealed that he had quite a bit of technology in his room, including his own personal computer. "I think it's only right that I help you get up to speed with technology to understand Digimon better." _Now that I think about it, she doesn't have much in the way of modern appliances, not from what I saw of her house, at any rate... __Her phone was __very__ old, and she__ doesn't even have a TV!_

"Ah... I guess that makes sense," Rin nodded, sitting next to Henry, pointing at the computer monitor, "I can barely get a video cassette player working. Don't even get me started on these doohickeys on your desk... Um... That's a computer, right?"

"Actually, that's the computer monitor. It's the device that displays what the computer is currently doing, if you unplug it, the computer is still running, you just can't see anything on it. The computer itself is this big box here," Henry chuckled, pointing to the desktop computer, "it's not as complicated as it looks. It's not a 'magic box' that does everything... Though, being a magus, I guess you already knew that."

"But of course," Rin chuckled, "it can't be that hard to understan-" she stopped speaking as soon as Henry opened up the side of the computer, revealing all the various parts, and her jaw dropped. "Wha... What the heck are those?!"

"They're the various parts that make up a computer, it's pretty easy to understand," Henry remarked, as he pointed to a few examples, "there's the motherboard, the CPU, the graphics card, hard drive..." He glanced at her, and took notice of the girl's utterly confounded expression. He swore he could see smoke coming out of her ears for a moment. "Wow, you really are hopeless with tech."

"I don't use things like that," Rin grumbled. "And how will this help me understand Digimon better?"

"Digimon are composed of computer data," Henry said, "data is-"

"I know what data is, it's essentially a bunch of 'facts' that aren't terribly useful on their own, but once they're collated into a useful and usable form, then it becomes 'information'," Rin said. "I am your senior by several years, you know. Data existed long before computers and stuff like this."

"Well... Yeah, I guess that's a good way to describe it," Henry nodded, switching on his computer and putting the cover back on. "Computers can display all sorts of complex information, but ultimately, the only data that the system itself really understand is binary. Zeroes and ones. Though it's more like a bunch of 'switches' than numbers, we simply use binary to represent them. Zero is off, one is on. Binary is used to represent a whole bunch of things, from numbers to letters, each represented by a binary 'code'. Get my meaning?"

"Yeah, I guess that does make... Um," Rin nodded... And then blinked. "Actually, I barely understood half of that."

"I guess we'll have to start from the bare basics, then," Henry chuckled. _Oh, dear... I've got my work cut out for me, don't I?_

* * *

Back at the Emiya household, Shirou and Saber had finished their training for the night, and by that time, it was almost time for bed. But they decided to spend a little time talking.

"Um... Do I know a Katou-san? No, I don't think so," Sakura blinked, as Shirou asked her. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I met one of Matsuki-san's friends over at his parent's shop," Shirou replied, simply relaxing at the table. "She seemed like a nice girl, and she reminded me of you."

"I believe Takato is rather, as you say, 'smitten' with her," Saber interjected. Her posture was as regal as always, but it was made far less dignified by the fact that she was holding Calumon in her arms. "He appreciates her company at the very least."

"She sounds nice, culu!" Calumon giggled, "It's good to have friends, culu."

"I don't know this girl personally, I don't teach over at the elementary school, but it's nice to give those kids a responsible role-model like you, Shirou," Taiga smiled. For all her silliness, she was a responsible teacher. Thankfully, it wasn't too hard to keep the other Digimon out of her sight. "By the way, have you heard? Some prankster is going around scaring couples in the park at night. Some of the teachers are taking shifts patrolling the park starting tomorrow night. I'll be heading out as well, with my trusty tora-shinai in hand!"

"Um... Fujimura-sensei, isn't that a little extreme? It's just a prankster..." Sakura asked her.

"Certainly not! Apparently the little punk uses fire to scare people! Last thing we need is for some idiot to start a fire in the park," Taiga replied, causing Sakura to wince.

Shirou mulled over those words briefly. That didn't fit any of the Servants he knew thus far, even Caster had no inclination of starting fires, though he supposed it would be fairly trivial for her. On the other hand, it was quite possible that a Digimon could be the culprit. Guilmon was living in the park, and he was capable of breathing fire, but he didn't see Guilmon as someone who had it in him to be so mean-spirited. However, he had no choice but to investigate that possibility, anyway, as teachers patrolling the park made it more likely that Guilmon could be discovered. "Saber and I could help you patrol, Fuji-nee."

Saber nodded to him approvingly, while Taiga grinned, "Oh, I knew you'd jump at the chance! Sure, sure, Saber-chan can take care of herself, I should know, I've sparred with her. She's very good, even better than me!" Well, that went without saying, really. Taiga Fujimura was a black-belt kendo champion, possibly one of the best in the country, but her skills paled compared to Saber's.

"I... I'll help, too!" Sakura said, with a sudden burst of confidence, driven by an opportunity to be with Shirou. This caused Taiga's grin to widen further. Shirou, on the other hand, felt awkward, because he knew it would make it more difficult for him and Saber to check on Guilmon. He supposed it couldn't be helped, Saber would have the chance to talk to him in the morning...

* * *

In the cold, dark chamber at the top of a high-rise building, a tall, white lanky demon-like creature smiled as he looked up at his latest 'prize', preserved in ice. Normally he reserved this for Digimon he had killed, but this was a special case.

IceDevimon had arrived in the 'human world' very recently, and had spent his time on 'recon duty', so to speak. And he had learned quite a few interesting things, including who the local tamers were, about the existence of Servants and magecraft, and last but not least, he had discovered the purple-haired woman he was preserving right now. He had found her in the Kotomine Church, in a locked room, bleeding to death gradually, while he searched the church, avoiding the local priest, knowing he and his Servant was out of his league. Her right arm had been removed, and he had been stabbed through the chest, and she had been that way for at least two weeks. It was incredible that she had lasted so long, and IceDevimon, if nothing else, respected such determination to live. So he had whisked her away from her prison, and placed her in what could basically be described as a 'stasis capsule' made of ice, preserving her health indefinitely, and keeping her alive. The white devil was not a healer, so he had to settle for preserving her life until he could find a means of fully restoring it.

She wasn't a tamer... Yet. But he was almost giddy, knowing that this woman had the potential to be the tamer he needed. But unfortunately, in her current state, she couldn't be his tamer, so he'd have to settle for finding someone else until he could heal her. But, he had plenty of time for that, now.

* * *

Ayako always came to the archery range first thing in the morning before anyone else. Being the captain of the archery club, it was her duty to set things up and open the range for the club members.

However, something was _very_ out of place that morning. Basically, there was a large white cat sleeping amongst the archery equipment. The purple markings on its ears and tail, along with the golden tail ring and the 'gloves' it wore that resembled long tiger claws. Ayako would normally wake it and chase it off, but she didn't want to try her luck with the claws, so she tried to work around the sleeping cat and get the equipment out.

Eventually, Sakura arrived at the club, but was somewhat confused when she saw the cat. "Um, Mitsuzuri-sempai, why is there a cat sleeping in the storage?"

"I dunno, must've snuck in here during the night," Ayako replied, wondering what to do. "Those claws look way too dangerous, but I don't want to get Fujimura-sensei involved. Man, this is a pain... I guess I should give it a shot..."

She grabbed one of the bows, and prodded the cat's forehead from a safe distance, while Sakura hid behind her, watching. The cat yawned, opening its eyes and glaring at the two girls, annoyed. Ayako spoke up, "Oi, wakey wakey. You're not supposed to be sleeping in here."

"Bite me, I need my beauty sleep," the cat suddenly replied with a female voice, turning around and curling up again. "I'm not moving because of you humans."

"Ah-hah, you're a Digimon, I knew it," Ayako smirked, not noticing Sakura's surprise at the fact that the cat was talking back at them. "What if I got you some food?"

The cat's ears promptly twitched. There was a brief pause, before she replied, "Fish. Fresh fish, not cooked. _Then _I'll reconsider."

"That shouldn't be a problem, I know a guy," Ayako chuckled, taking out her phone and dialing a certain number. "Ah, Emiya-kun. Could you bring a fresh fish to the archery range? You won't believe what I found sleeping in the storage room."

A bit later that morning, the cat's ears twitched again, when she smelled something familiar. She turned her head towards the storage room door, and immediately leaped to her feet, drooling as Ayako held up a fresh fish, freshly bought thanks to Shirou, who was observing the scene with curiosity. "That's... A big cat."

"Oh, yes, that's one tasty looking fish..." the cat ignored Shirou as she slowly approached Ayako, who walked back teasingly, holding the fish up well beyond her reach. However, the cat broke into a run, and leaped into the air, easily snatching the meal out of the girl's hand and landed on her hind legs, standing bipedally as she munched away at it.

The entire archery club looked on in amazement. Leaving nothing but bones behind, the cat Digimon patted her stomach upon finishing her meal, mewing happily. "Ah... That was great! I'll forgive you for that rude awakening just this once."

"So, what Digimon are you?" Ayako asked, as she squatted in front of the cat. "I'm the captain of this archery club, Ayako Mitsuzuri."

"You can call me Gatomon," the Digimon replied, strolling past her, "but let's not get too friendly, now. I'm not interested in being social with humans. Thanks for the fish."

"Well, it was Emiya-kun here who bought the fish-" Ayako replied, but then Gatomon leaped up onto the archery range's fence, and then leaped into the trees of the woods, quickly disappearing. "Well, damn. I was hoping she'd stick around longer."

"She doesn't seem to be hostile, so that's good," Shirou nodded. _The way she eats reminds me of Saber..._

"Ah, Sempai, maybe we can pay you back for the fish..." Sakura spoke up.

"No, it's alright, it was pretty cheap, anyway," Shirou replied, and then looked at Taiga, "Fuji-nee, have you seen Issei today?"

"Oh, Ryuudou-kun? Yeah, I've seen him, you wanted to see him for something?" Taiga asked, blinking.

"Yeah, I do. I know where to meet him. Thanks," Shirou nodded, as he left the archery range. The day could not possibly get any weirder. He had already run into Rin Tohsaka at the school gates, claiming that Issei was probably Caster's Master, but he just didn't see it. Well, he decided he'd had to investigate anyway...

* * *

"So, Takato, I've heard you've been hanging around high school students," Kazu Shioda grinned, leaning back against his seat, the brown-haired boy looking at Takato eagerly. They were in the classroom, during a break, and what normally would be conversation about the Digimon card game was completely swamped by the latest rumors, and unfortunately, it seems the newest one concerned Takato. "How the heck did you get popular with that crowd all of a sudden?"

"It's just a couple of people," Takato spoke defensively. "A couple of students who come around to the shop regularly."

"I can definitely say he's right," Jeri smiled, sitting down at her table close by, "I was introduced to Emiya-san yesterday."

"Not just that... I hear you've been hanging around Rin Tohsaka as well," Kenta Kitagawa pointed out. He had black hair and glasses. "I mean, she's..."

"You haven't met her outside of school," Takato replied dryly, already knowing that Rin was really like. But he knew being seen in the company of the 'perfect student' of Homurahara Gakuen would raise questions. Who would hang out with a girl like her? He also had heard that Rin was the type who had high dating standards, so a boy his age being around her... Awkward. Very awkward.

"Oh, get off his case, Takato-kun can hang around with whoever he wants, as long as it's not too creepy," said one of the girls on the other side of the room, Miki. "besides, there's much better rumors. You know what the teacher said about a prankster in the park. I heard there's a kid scaring couples that go into the park at night." She glared accusingly at the boys, "I think it's a boy in our class."

Kazu and Kenta were quick to object, and Takato was left unsure of what to think, considering what he heard, especially considering Guilmon was 'living' in the park...

* * *

"Hello?" Shirou opened the door to the student council room. It was lunch time, and he couldn't put off talking to Issei, especially not with Rin practically breathing down his neck. She was fairly insistent like that. Caster's home base was the temple, and only one person came down from the temple grounds each day, and that person was Issei.

As expected, Issei was in the room, sitting at the desk. He looked up at him, "Oh, Emiya-kun. Are you eating lunch in here?"

"I just wanted to ask you somethi-" Shirou was suddenly distracted by the cardboard box right next to Issei's seat. "Issei. What's in the box?"

"Hmm? Oh, this? It's just a regular cardboard box, there's nothing inside it." Issei replied, as he continued to eat lunch, but then the box promptly nudged to the side on its own. "Nothing you should concern yourself with."

Shirou, of course, had noticed this, and was obviously not convinced. "You're not nearly this evasive. There's something in that box, it _moved._"

"Ah... Uh... I moved it! See?" Issei nudged it in a half-hearted attempt to excuse himself, but Shirou would have nothing of it, and came over, picking up the box, despite Issei's protests.

Now, Shirou had expected a Digimon under the box, but what kind of Digimon, well, he was genuinely surprised. It was clearly a bipedal lizard, but its body was covered in cream-coloured fur, with black scales under its body, green eyes, three claws on each limb. It wore black and purple Japanese-style armor, complete with samurai headgear adorned with a large red gemstone. Issei sighed, forced to accept his misfortune. "Long story short, Emiya-kun, I can now consider Mitsuzuri-san's story much more plausible."

"I see," Shirou blinked, putting the box aside, looking down at the furry lizard Digimon. "Um... Who are you?"

"I am Ryudamon. It is a pleasure to meet you, Emiya-san," the lizard introduced himself politely, shaking Shirou's hand, much to the latter's surprise. "I've come from the Digital World, fighting tooth and nail in search of a tamer!"

"A tamer...?" Shirou blinked. He knew Takato, Henry and Rika were 'Digimon Tamers', but he didn't think Digimon actively went looking for such partners. "Why do you want to find a tamer?"

"We Digimon are made for battle, to evolve! Tamers give us Digimon a sure-fire means of evolving," Ryudamon said cheerfully. "Tamers can empower their partners in ways nobody else can! That's one reason why so many Digimon come to the human world, so they can find a tamer to become stronger."

"He was hiding out in the temple grounds, and appeared to me all of a sudden last night, introducing himself," Issei sighed again. "I don't know about this 'tamer' thing he's talking about, but he's fairly insistent. Plus, he followed me down from the temple on his own, so I had no choice but to hide him."

"Speaking of which, Issei, is there anything else different at the temple?" Shirou asked, sitting down as he began to eat lunch.

"My father and brother are the same as usual, but I will admit there is a strange woman living at the temple, recently," Issei replied. "I'm a bit suspicious of her, but my father seems to be alright with her presence for now. She's the only other person who knows about Ryudamon. She seems awfully interested in him, but I suppose anyone would be curious."

"Ah, that woman is an angel! Her beauty is unsurpassed, I've never seen such incredible blue hair!" Ryudamon spoke eagerly, singing his praises of the woman in question, "and she is so nice, as well! She is an absolute pleasure to speak with!"

Shirou blinked, wondering if this was the same Caster he had met a couple of nights ago, because that description very well didn't sound like her. Granted, Caster's head was always covered by a hood that covered her eyes and hair, so he had to take the Digimon's word for it. "I see... Hey, Issei. I just remembered something."

"Yes, Emiya-kun?"

"Take off your clothes."

A brief, awkward pause. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard what I said! It's for a good reason!" Shirou said, immediately grabbing Issei's shirt. "Take it off!"

"W-Wait a minute! Ryudamon, help!" Issei was panicking, stumbling about, blushing in embarrassment.

"Certainly, Issei-san!" Ryudamon said in delight, as he pounced... And promptly started helping Shirou with the removing of clothes.

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?!"

It didn't take long for Shirou to properly verify that Issei had no command seal, so he was definitely not Caster's Master. To say the least, Shirou was very much relieved. He didn't want to pry too much into Caster right now, he knew if Issei got suspicious of her, he'd go digging, and it might get him killed. "Good. It's not there..."

"Well, if you've confirmed what you wanted to know, I won't pry," Issei sighed, having gotten his clothes back on. "By the way, you know that Matou-kun hasn't been at school for-"

"Yes, I know, Issei," Shirou sighed. "Ever since Mitsuzuri-san brought up those allegations against him, he's been avoiding school. Sakura still hasn't seen him. Tohsaka-san was not very happy that her friend was almost assaulted."

"Tohsaka and Mitsuzuri-san are friends? I didn't know that," Issei blinked.

"Neither did I until a couple of days ago," Shirou remarked. "With all this mess around Shinji, Digimon appearing, and that prankster in the park..."

"Ah, that's right, I've heard you're going to help Fujimura-sensei patrol the park," Issei chuckled. "I wish I could come with you, but I've got obligations of my own in the evening."

"I understand," Shirou nodded. _So Issei isn't Caster's Master, but Caster seems to be taking an interest in Digimon... This could be a problem..._

* * *

After school, Rin had gotten her equipment from home, and was fully intent on properly researching the anomaly in the drainage tunnels. Archer had been instructed to stand guard right outside the entrance to the tunnels, just outside the bounds of the anomaly's effects. No Master would risk taking their Servant into that radius in order to attack her. Well, that was what she hoped, at any rate.

Inside the tunnels, however, she was not even remotely prepared for what she saw when she reached her destination. She looked utterly slack-jawed at the dome of 'digital fog' blocking the way. She knew simply touching it would be too risky, she was better off simply examining the exterior with her research equipment would be adequate for now.

As she worked, the pulsating dome unnerved her greatly. She couldn't help but think that someone was watching her. And, unfortunately, she was right. In the middle of her work, multiple 'strips' of data suddenly extended out from the fog, grabbing her limbs, immobilising her, before beginning to pull her towards the fog. Her panicked cries were quickly silenced by a strip wrapping around her mouth, as the appendages dragged her through.

Inside, she couldn't tell left from right, or where the strange place even began and ended, as the fog was everywhere. Eventually, the appendages stopped, and suddenly, they began to glow. Rin realised that they were starting to drain her prana. She grit her teeth, as a rift began to form several meters in front of her, and two red eyes glowed beyond it, an imposing masculine voice speaking, "Well, what do we have here? You are not the Child of Light, but you will make an excellent substitute. Perhaps I can even turn you into my tool. The power you already possess is quite impressive for a human, and cultivating such potential is something I am hardly opposed to."

Rin bit down on the strip, tearing it away, before slipping a hand through her binds, speaking a quick aria, and fired several strong bursts of prana at him. She normally reserved attacks like this for use with her gems, but if this creature was draining her prana, she might as well burn it to deny him as much of it as she could.

As the rift slowly widened, the bolts of prana slammed into the creature's face. There was then an amused laugh from the creature. "I must give you credit, girl, that actually managed to sting. But burning your energy like this won't help you. The rift is already open, it's simply a matter of time before I am free. You're only delaying the inevitable."

Rin grit her teeth, watching the rift gradually expand with each moment. "Well, it was worth a shot. Who _are _you?"

The creature's head slowly emerged from the rift, revealing the head of a massive, demon-like Digimon with a wide, ugly smile, and a lot of teeth. Horns emerged prominently from the side of his head, his skin was purple, he had black hair, a blue gemstone on his forehead matching his eyes, brown fur on parts of his body, red claws, purple and black wings... He was a perfect visualisation of a typical 'demonic' entity. "I am Daemon of the Seven Great Demon Lords, the demon lord of Wrath. I have been trapped in the Dark Ocean by the Chosen Children, but a little patience and a bit of shopping around across universes allowed me to find this anomaly, and a way out. And what of you, miss, if you're brave enough to answer? Who are _you?_"

Rin was briefly surprised. She knew what actual demons were, and they were, well, _different. _Even the True Ancestors who had gone rogue and become 'demon lords' were not true demons. But it seems Digimon had more typical demons. She tried to keep her nerve, as she responded, "Rin Tohsaka, caretaker of this land, and a magus. As per my duty as such, I won't allow you to get out!"

"Such bold words. I look forward to breaking your spirit," Daemon grinned wider, as he continued to stretch the rift wider with his claws.

"I'm afraid you won't get the opportunity, demon lord."

Two swords cleaved through the data tendrils, causing Rin to drop onto an invisible walkway. Archer stood by her, checking for wounds. "Are you alright, Rin?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Archer. But we can't let him escape," Rin frowned, looking at the demon lord.

"I'll take care of that. Get out of here," Archer told her. Rin nodded, and ran for the exit revealed by a path of swords. Archer then faced towards Daemon, clenching Kanshou and Bakuya tightly. He could feel the Counter Force giving him strength. Not enough to force him into his role as a Counter Guardian, which was good, and it meant he had a chance to avert a catastrophe. "I will not allow you to advance. Cease your advancement now, Daemon, otherwise I will use all the power at my disposal to stop you."

Daemon laughed, bemused by Archer's threat. "You're an unusual being, I will give you that, but you are a fool to think you can destroy me!"

"Destroy you? While I am unsure if I can do that, destroying you is hardly necessary," Archer smirked. "_I am the bone of my sword..._ Trace On."

Multiple holy swords were projected, and he formed a bow, firing one of them at Daemon's eye. The demon Digimon attempted to swat the sword away, but it exploded on contact, causing him pain, before he was suddenly bombarded with multiple projections, each one exploding on impact. It quickly became apparent to Daemon that these swords were imitations – no warrior in their right mind would so brazenly destroy their own weapons for increased damage output. But Archer could conjure up these replicas of powerful holy swords at will, and as a consequence, fire and forget tactics were not only valid, it was also practical. In this position, while it would take a while, Archer was in perfect position to do more damage to Daemon than the Digidestined ever did. Exploding holy swords slammed into his arms, torso and head, pushing him back. He had to use all his strength to continue pushing forwards and forcing open the portal. "GRAH! You are only delay the inevitable, Archer!"

"So you say," Archer smirked, preparing more holy swords, "but you're running out of time. There's another entity coming towards this place, and it seems to be a weapon meant to erase this area – when it does, if you haven't escaped, you will have no choice to retreat. Can't you feel it, Daemon?"

Daemon's eyes widened. He was right. Those damned humans had created some kind of program to delete the anomaly. He snarled, and breathed out an inferno of powerful hellfire. "Flame Inferno!"

"Rho Alias!" Archer responded, thrusting his hand out as Rho Alias's petals formed, the anti-projectile shield being as beautiful as it was strong, withstanding the hellfire, which wasn't meant to be able to pierce such a shield. All the while, he continued launching swords.

"How... Who are you, human?! Speak!" Daemon was quickly losing patience, putting all his effort into trying to push through the portal, being bombarded with swords. Such a barrier could only be used by the likes of beings such as the Royal Knights, as far as he knew. "No mere human could use such weapons!"

"I was once human. Right now, I am no longer as such," Archer replied, forming one last holy sword. "I am a Counter Guardian. It is my duty to protect the World and humanity. And both the World and Alaya deem your presence to be a threat. Thus, I will send you back from whence you came, Demon Lord. Time's up."

He drew back the sword on his bow, "Golden Sword of Assured Victory... Fly true. Caliburn!"

As he let go, Caliburn lit up magnificently, shining through the air like an arrow of light, striking Daemon in the torso, burying itself down to the hilt, before exploding, causing the Demon Lord to roar in pain, stumbling back away from the rift. As he did that, the misty dome began to change – something was beginning to delete it. "ARCHER! I will not forget this, Counter Guardian! I will escape, I will find you, and I will end you!"

Archer turned around, and walked towards the exit, passing through the mist. "Good luck with that. I met my end a long time ago."

As he emerged back out into the water tunnel, the dome began to break down, before disappearing entirely. Rin was leaning against a wall, panting as she watched it disappear, trying to conserve her energy. "That... Was far more trouble than it should've."

"At any rate, we just averted a catastrophe," Archer smiled. "Are you alright, Rin?"

"I'm fine!" The girl stood up straight, crossing her arms with a huff, "I could've gotten out of there without your help, you know."

"So you say," Archer chuckled. "Well, mystery solved. Let's go, shall we?"

* * *

After school, Takato wanted to go talk with Rika, to try and get to know her better. Saber had verified that Guilmon had nothing to do with the pranks, which relieved Takato immensely. Shirou and Saber opted to patrol the neighbourhood a bit to make sure Shinji and Rider weren't around, while Takato and Guilmon headed for Rika's home. Upon actually running into the girl, however, and introducing himself to her, Rika snarked to Takato, "Have you fallen in love with me and come to confess?"

"No, no, it's not that," Takato groaned. "I just want to talk."

"Alright, whatever," Rika shrugged, leading Takato and Guilmon into the front yard. Unlike the Emiya household, the outside was more focused on the front, rather than having a large back area. There was even a large pond and a garden. "What do you want to know, then?"

"Have you seen Shinji Matou and Rider since we last met?" Takato asked right off the bat, as Rika sat down on the porch.

"Oh, them? Just yesterday. They stole our kill, and then attacked us," Rika replied. "Renamon and I managed to drive them off, though. Shinji dropped something that Renamon accidentally destroyed. Some kind of book. Shinji was really upset about it, for some reason."

Takato took a mental note of that, but before he could respond, Rika asked idly, "So. What's Miss Perfect like?"

"I'm sorry...?"

"Rin Tohsaka. I know you've been hanging around her and Emiya, because you and Wong would be walking targets if you didn't," Rika said dryly. "From what I hear, she's a perfect student."

"Yeah, in school, but it's just a front to conceal her true nature as a magus. You've never seen her when she has the mask off. She's stingy and bossy," Takato groaned. "She's also apparently not a morning person."

Rika chuckled, amused by this fact. "Not as perfect as everyone thinks, huh? Nobody's perfect. But you can try, I suppose. Like that'll do you any good, though."

Takato chuckled, "I know... Look, Rika-chan, I know this is gonna sound weird, but Shirou and I had a shared dream. And we saw you and Rin fighting. N-Not that I'm-"

"Annnnddddd that just sounds creepy," Rika said. "You seriously can't take a joke, can you, kid?"

"We're both in the fifth grade!"

"Whatever, cut it out! You just come off as really creepy, saying this weird stuff about dreaming about me."

"Ah, sorry, it's not like that... But I just want to ask you a question..."

"Rika-chan? Are you home?" The sound of Rika's grandmother calling caused Renamon to grab Guilmon and pull him around a corner. She came out of the house, blinking, "Oh, it's rare for a friend of Rika-chan's to come over."

"Hello! Sorry for the intrusion," Takato replied politely.

"Come in and have some tea," Rika's grandmother smiled, "I haven't bought any cake, but we do have senbei crackers, if you'd like."

"Don't bother, grandma. He was just leaving," Rika said.

"That's a shame. Come again sometime," her grandmother chuckled, closing the sliding door.

"Okay!" Takato replied to her, before Renamon let Guilmon go, causing him to fall on his back. Takato focused his attention on Rika, "Um, Rika-chan, do you know why Renamon came from the Digital World?"

"Why do you want to know?" Rika asked idly, leaning back.

"Well... Because, maybe they could end up turning back into data," Takato replied.

"Digimon are data to begin with," Rika shrugged. "Why would that be so wrong?"

"But... But that's so sad," Takato frowned. Rika simply didn't reply, looking at Renamon with an expression of contemplation. Takato couldn't possibly know what she was thinking, but the slight frown indicated that she knew he might have a point.

Soon, Takato and Guilmon left the yard via the front gate, with Shirou and Saber waiting there. Takato turned back towards Rika, smiling, "It's been nice talking with you, I've really wanted to talk with you ever since that dream, so... See you later."

"Renamon, bye bye!" Guilmon waved, as he and his Tamer began to walk away.

"Wait," Rika said, causing them to stop. She stepped out of the gate, and then swung a kick into the air, "If you add '-chan' onto my name again, I'll kick your behind!" She then went back inside, shutting the gate.

"What's with her?!" Takato said, clearly annoyed. Shirou simply shrugged.

* * *

That evening, after escorting Guilmon back to the park shed, Takato and Saber instructed him not to leave it under any circumstances, unless there was an emergency. Content with that, they headed out escort Takato back home. Well, that _was _the plan, but they ended up bumping into Taiga and Sakura first, when they weren't that far from the street. Taiga was waving when she saw them. "Shirou! Saber-chan! Takato-kun!"

"Oh, you're already patrolling, Fuji-nee?" Shirou asked, as the two groups closed in.

"Yep! Come on, let's get started! Hey, why's Takato-kun here? Shouldn't he be at home?" Taiga raised an eyebrow.

"We were taking him home just now, actually," Saber said.

"Okie-dokie! Get going, we'll meet up later," Taiga chuckled, as she and Sakura walked by, the latter looking a bit pained for a moment, but she was forced to go along with her.

When they got onto the street, they ran into a police officer, who seemed to be in a grumpy mood, and was quick to start questioning the trio, quickly accusing them of being the pranksters, which all three of them quickly denied. Then, before Saber could employ her charisma to get him to stop, someone else interrupted. "Ah, Takato-kun, thank goodness!" Coming down the stairs leading to the park, was a woman with shoulder-length dark brown hair. She wore a yellow cardigan, a white shirt, a dark blue skirt, white socks and white and grey sneakers. Takato immediately recognised her as his teacher, Nami Asaji. Shirou also recognised her, but not because she ever taught him. It was his typical helpfulness at school that enabled him to get to know her. "Is there a problem with my student, officer?"

"Er... No, not really," the officer quickly backed off, embarrassed, and walked away, "have a good evening, and stay safe!"

"We will," Nami said, looked at the trio. "Takato-kun, I had heard you had made friends with Emiya-kun. I always knew you'd never be a prankster, but this seals it."

"Hello, Asaji-sensei. Not exactly unexpected to run into you tonight of all nights," Shirou said.

"Thank you, Asaji-sensei," Takato smiled.

"It's alright, it would be a problem for me if one of my students ended up getting into trouble," Nami chuckled, and then looked at Shirou, "you've certainly grown, Emiya-kun. How's life with Fujimura-san?"

"She's an odd person, but it's nice to have her around," Shirou replied. He knew Nami was the type who didn't like teaching – the worst sort of teacher. He knew she worked as a teacher because it made her look good in the community. "This girl here is Saber, she's a friend of Kiritsugu's from abroad."

"Ah, Kiritsugu-san did like to travel a lot," Nami nodded. "At any rate, I know a better route to take Takato home. Follow me."

* * *

Somehow, despite Takato and Saber's warnings, Impmon and Lancer had managed to convince Guilmon to come out of the shed. Despite being rather inebriated, of course. The promise of 'a really fun game' was far too good for Guilmon to resist.

They sneaked up behind some bushes in front of the stone statue of a man. On the pathway, were a young couple, happily talking to each other, right up until a small flame started floating around in the air around them. That initially freaked them out. And then Impmon burst out of the bushes, making a ridiculous face, which caused the poor couple to run away screaming.

Both Impmon and Lancer burst into laughter, watching the couple run away in terror. Lancer grinned, "Oh, man, that was great! I think that was one of our best ones." He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and black pants, his typical casual attire.

"Yeah, this is fun, ain't it?" Impmon laughed haughtily.

Guilmon, on the other hand, as he looked out from behind the bush, simply blinked, with a confused expression. Unfortunately for the two pranksters, he had a very different idea of fun. "This isn't fun at all." He walked away, "Guilmon is going home."

"H-Hey! We were just getting started!" Impmon cried out.

"Eh, let him go, if he doesn't find it fun, that's his problem," Lancer shrugged.

"AH-HA! I FOUND YOU, YOU TROUBLEMAKERS!"

Both Impmon and Lancer were a bit too drunk to properly process the reality that there was suddenly now a very hot-blooded Taiga Fujimura running towards them, her Tora-Shinai raised over her head and ready to provide a suitable beatdown. Well, not until it was too late. Lancer was able to dive back into the bushes in time, while Impmon was promptly being smacked around by the wooden sword, crying out in pain as he was repeatedly beat down by the angry teacher. "H-HEY! Stop hitting me, you crazy broad!"

"NEVER!" Taiga roared, promptly sending Impmon flying across the park with a well-timed swing. "Oh, oops. Oh, well, I can go after him as soon as I-"

Then she realised that Lancer had disappeared from his hiding spot, and was now over where Sakura was, casually chatting with the nervous girl. The blue-haired Irishman chuckled, "So, you come here often, babe? Hey, don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt ya, I ain't that kind of guy."

"I... Um... No, I don't," Sakura blushed, trying to get an opportunity to get away, knowing perfectly well that he was a Servant, which was promptly provided by Taiga, who was all too eager to start chasing Lancer around with the wooden sword.

In the trees, Rider could only groan as she watched the events that unfolded below. This was completely ridiculous.

* * *

Takato was very nervous. That encounter with the cop had got him wondering, what would happen if the police managed to find Guilmon? He could be locked up, or worse. His fears overcame his ability to really think rationally, and without warning, he started running back in the direction of the shed, much to Nami's surprise. Shirou and Saber opted to follow him. However, Saber sensed another Servant, moving to intercept...

However, it was Lancer, who was stepping onto the path awkwardly, having finally evaded Taiga. He was covered in twigs and leaves, and looked somewhat dirty. Lancer blinked, and then chuckled, "Oi, Saber. I don't want to fight you right now, so..."

Even from a distance, Saber could smell the stench of alcohol on his breath. Her eyes narrowed, placing a hand on her hip, as Shirou braced himself for a possible attack. "Lancer. Why are you inebriated?"

"What? I'm not drunk, a real Irishman can drink more than that," Lancer shrugged it off with a chuckle. "I've been having fun with Impmon, on my Master's orders. He's a weird guy, and has some odd ideas about having fun, such as scaring couples in the park, but..."

"So you and Impmon are the pranksters?" Shirou asked.

"Well, yeah. Oh, come on, don't give me that look, it's a little harmless fun," Lancer laughed, nearly losing his balance as he rested against a tree. "We even got Guilmon to tag along for like, five minutes. Then it turns out pranking wasn't his idea of a good time, and he went back to his shed."

Simultaneously relieved that Guilmon wouldn't do such a thing and annoyed that he would disobey her warning, Saber sighed, "Lancer, you're drunk. Go home. I have little intention of dealing with a drunken Servant."

"Alright, alright, geez," Lancer sighed, disappearing into spirit form.

"Lancer is an odd one," Shirou mused, as he and Saber continued on their way, looking for Takato. They soon ran into him on the pathway to the shed, looking rather upset. "Takato?"

"Ugh, stupid Guilmon!" Takato stamped his feet, trying to walk past, "He's the one doing it after all!"

"Actually, no, he wasn't it was-" Saber's response was quickly cut off by a loud roar. Flying over the streets near the park, was, of all things, a black dragon with red compound eyes and a demonic appearance. She immediately clenched her fists, "it's a Digimon!"

"What's that one doing outside of the fog?!" Shirou grit his teeth, as they immediately started sprinting after it. This was bad. There was a big Digimon on the loose, and it could hurt people!

The dragon soon suddenly took notice of a target. Guilmon was running out of the park to investigate the Digimon's presence, and the dragon landed in front of him, roaring. Shirou and Saber stayed back, as Takato used his Digivice to scan the enemy. "The demon with compound eyes, Devidramon, an adult level with the virus attribute. 'Evil Dragon' Digimon. He uses his sharp, hooked claws to slice through the enemy with his Crimson Nail!"

Saber grit her teeth, "I can't use my powers here, there's too many people around...!"

It was a tense standoff between the smaller lizard and the large demon dragon. There was a feral look in Guilmon's eyes, which both Shirou and Saber recognised. They also noticed Rika, Henry, Rin and Ayako arrive on the scene. Saber could sense Archer, who was in spirit form at the moment, to preserve his prana. Renamon was behind Rika. "This one is Guilmon's prey."

"Go on, duke it out!" Terriermon grinned excitedly.

"Stop that," Henry groaned. "This is not good! People are going to see this..."

"Lovely, just lovely," Rin frowned, analyzing the match-up. The fight had already begun, with Guilmon launching fireballs at the Devidramon, whom proved too quick and durable, and was very quickly getting the upper hand, knocking Guilmon around. Takato was using Option Cards to try and help his partner, but they did little good. "What on Earth is he _doing_?! Those cards aren't gonna be enough!"

Not far away, on a lamp post, Impmon was watching the fight. After his little beating, he had decided he had gotten bored of scaring humans, and had inadvertently run into the Devidramon, trapped in the digital fog, which Impomon had accidentally opened up, letting it loose. "He's so strong! Yeah, that's what I want to be when I evolve! This is way more fun than scaring humans! Remember who freed you, big guy – me, Impmon-sama!"

_Ah, so he's the little snot who's been pranking people, _Archer smirked, having heard that, as he was trying to find a good vantage point to snipe the dragon without being spotted.

At this point, the Devidramon had pinned Guilmon to a wall. Takato was worried sick, and Shirou spoke up, "Guilmon wasn't the one who was pranking people. It was Lancer and some Digimon named Impmon. Lancer told us himself."

Takato, feeling both relieved and guilty upon hearing that, and he called out, "Guilmon! I know you can do it, don't give up!"

"Takato... You're... Not mad at me anymore...?" Guilmon choked, pinned to the wall by Devidramon's three-pronged tail. Calumon floated nearby, wondering what all the fuss was about.

"I'm not. I'm so sorry I doubted you!" Takato smiled warmly.

"Thank... Goodness..." Guilmon smiled, right before Devidramon suddenly began to apply much more pressure.

"GUILMON!"

**DEBUG  
****debug complete, errors corrected  
****EXECUTE**

Light burst out from Calumon's forehead (which only Archer and Rin noticed), and from Takato's Digivce. Guilmon's body glowed as well, expanding rapidly, forcing the Devidramon to back off. Guilmon was now much larger, of comparable size to his opponent, and looked more muscular and dangerous, roaring as he charged the Devidramon, biting into its shoulder. Takato looked on, amazed, "Guilmon, grow... Growlmon!"

"Incredible...!" Saber looked on in astonishment, as the two adult-level Digimon grappled and wrestled with each other, Growlmon slashing at the demon dragon with an arm blade, "He truly is a dragon in heart and body!"

By this time, Archer had gotten to a vantage point, but he was annoyed that Growlmon was making it difficult for him to get a good opportunity to fire his arrows. However, when Devidramon grabbed Growlmon and started taking flight, Archer smirked, "Gotcha..."

But he didn't even get a chance to take the shot. Instead, an anti-tank round tore through Devidramon's wings, causing it to roar in agony, and crash to the ground with its quarry. Archer's eyes widened, as he looked up towards where the shot came from, already on the move. What he saw should be impossible. The black hair and that black coat... "No... There's no way he can be alive!"

Using all his speed, he was able to catch up with the shooter on a nearby rooftop, only to discover that, as he fired a sword at the figure's leg to try and stop him, the shooter suddenly deflected the makeshift arrow with a combat knife, dissipating the hologram around him, much to Archer's own surprise. The shooter stood his ground. It was clearly a bipedal lizard, wearing highly advanced combat armor that covered its entire body, and a helmet with some kind of high-tech visor. The broken-down anti-tank rifle was strapped to the Digimon's back. Archer frowned. "Who are you, and why are you masquerading as the Magus Killer?"

The lizard simply didn't reply, instead attempting to move towards the edge of the rooftop. Archer instead moved to intercept, swinging Kanshou and Bakuya in tandem. His target moved quickly and deliberately, deflecting the blades with the combat knife, and continued to move back, constantly dogged by the Servant, who was finding that, though his opponent was fighting defensively, he was deflecting his twin swords with little trouble. He wasn't as fast as Lancer, but his precision was surgical, and his ability to parry was incredible. He wasn't a Servant, but he could possibly even take on Assassin with just that small blade.

Archer then heard the Digimon mutter something under his breath, and suddenly, the knife-wielding lizard suddenly started moving much faster, suddenly going on the offensive. Despite Archer's own efforts to defend with both swords, the enemy was striking even faster than Lancer was, now, and before Archer could properly change his stance to defend against such attacks, he found himself being slashed across several spots across his body with extreme precision, before being kicked across the rooftop. The lizard then dropped a smoke grenade, enabling him to escape, disappearing before Archer could pursue. Archer grit his teeth, getting up and trying to stop the blood flow from his wounds with his hands. "Damn it... Who was he?"

Meanwhile, back down on the ground as that fight was going down, The Devidramon attempted to move away, but Growlmon snarled, slamming the demonic dragon into a wall, smashing its head into the concrete repeatedly, before finally destroying it with an incredible burst of flame that obliterated it, causing the Devidramon to dissipate into data, which Growlmon absorbed.

"Oh, wow, that was amazing!" Ayako grinned. "So that's evolution, huh?"

Growlmon then turned towards Takato... And began to growl. Takato's heart began to beat rapidly, realizing that he was actually scared of his own creation. He was just a kid, after all, and seeing Growlmon stare at him with that feral look and that menacing growl nearly caused him to cry.

"Ta... Ka... To..." Growlmon's expression suddenly changed, tears dripping from his eyes. He spoke with a strained voice, as if he was unused to speaking in this form.

Takato was briefly astonished, but he smiled, hugging Growlmon's leg, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being scared..."

"Was Growlmon fighting... Really that scary?" Growlmon asked, his voice hoarse, but still childish as ever. "That's why... Growlmon wants to change back into Guilmon..."

"It's not your evolution that is the problem, Growlmon. You need to control your draconic instincts," Saber stepped forward, looking up at Growlmon. "Fighting like a feral beast will do you no favors."

"Still, he's way too big, we got to get him out of here," Rin sighed, crossing her arms. "And there's no way he'll fit in the shed-"

"Heh, definitely not," Archer chuckled, landing on the pavement, clearly wounded and bleeding in multiple vital areas, much to Rin's shock.

"Archer, what happened to you?!" Saber's eyes widened.

"What the... You're going to bleed out at this rate! You idiot! Who the hell did you pick a fight with?!" Rin grit her teeth, "back into the park! Now! Before more people show up!"

She counted herself lucky that the fighting had scared off any bystanders, otherwise this would be a nightmare to deal with...

_**To Be Continued**_


	4. Chapter 4

_And the same guy decides to throw up more griping about stuff. For the record, Daemon's response to Rin attacking him was mainly mockery, and was more amused than anything – just because it 'stung' doesn't mean it actually 'damaged' him. As far as he was concerned, it was practically a mosquito bite. He hadn't encountered human magi before (or the cast of Digimon Savers for that matter), so he was intrigued that a human could actually have the capacity to "harm" him in some manner._

_As for Rider and the whole 'absorption' thing, that's not going to take long to explain..._

* * *

_**Chapter 4**_

Rin grumbled as she used her magecraft to heal Archer's wounds, at least stopping the bleeding. They were right outside the shed, and had confirmed that Growlmon was certainly not going to fit inside. "How?! Did you get blind-sided by Assassin or something?!"

"Not, not really," Archer replied, leaning against a tree as Rin patched up his wounds. "It was a Digimon. One that was very, _very _skilled with a combat knife. Some kind of lizard that was wearing full-on cybernetic combat armor. He's the one who shot down the Devidramon with that anti-tank rifle. His speed actually surprised me, Saber would have likely had more luck, however, his knife likely wouldn't be able to parry her sword."

"You fought a Sealsdramon," Renamon said, standing by Rika, who was sitting on the steps leading up to the shed. "Adult level, cyborg Digimon. Specialised in assassination, Sealsdramon can move over short distances at speeds impossible to perceive with the eyes, and it can bring down its target with just its taijutsu, and its Scouter Monoeye can allow it to detect weak points – or, at least that's what they say."

Takato blinked, "You mean, they're like, well, special forces?"

"They're still adult-level, but if Archer lost to that one, it must be highly skilled," Henry mused.

"Still, it took out the Devidramon's wings," Saber noted. "They could either be friend or foe... Or simply neutral to us."

"Is someone there?!"

Shirou was about to say something, but then he spotted someone familiar coming down the path, who had just called out. "Oh, damn it, everyone, hid-"

Too late. Taiga Fujimura and Sakura were quickly at the base of the stairs leading to the shed, in full view of everyone. Needless to say, there was a rather awkward silence. Ayako groaned. "Fujimura-sensei, before you go and freak out-"

Taiga was very quickly knocked unconscious by a couple of quick Gandr Shots launched by Rin, who then aimed her arm at Sakura. "Ugh, I hate it when things like this happen... Sorry, Sakura, but I'll have to-"

"You'll do no such thing," replied Rider, as she landed in front of Sakura, causing Saber and Archer to both tense up quickly. "If you try to attack my Master, I will kill you."

"Rider?! Sakura is your Master?! I thought Shinji was your Master," Shirou's eyes widened in disbelief. He really hoped it wasn't true, he didn't want Sakura to get involved in the Grail War by any means. However, he saw Sakura's guilty expression, and he frowned. "What's going on?"

"Rika, didn't you say something about Shinji carrying a book that Renamon destroyed?" Takato was immediately reminded, looking at Rika.

"It was... A provisional Command Seal," Sakura bit her lower lip, feeling completely cornered. "I let Nii-san have control over Rider..."

"Let? I'd say he forced you to," Rika chided, causing Sakura to flinch, as she stood up. "Honestly, you should be thanking me. He was a terrible Master."

"D-Don't talk about Nii-san that way-"

"Sakura, I'm going to be blunt. If it wasn't for Rika here, Rider might've done something horrible to Mitsuzuri-san," Rin spoke up, causing Sakura's eyes to widen – she obviously hadn't known at that. "I know you mean well, but..."

"Tohsaka-sempai, I..." Sakura looked utterly ashamed of herself. In hindsight, she should've seen such a thing coming. "Nii-san wanted to be a Master, but he wasn't a magus... I felt sorry for him-"

"Oh, grow a spine, he's a guy like him would've been forceful, you weren't really sorry for him, were you?" Rika chided her, causing Sakura to flinch, "Because you didn't stand up to him, your friend would've gotten hurt, or worse, if Renamon and I didn't intervene."

"Rika! Leave the poor girl alone," Henry spoke up, frowning.

Archer sighed. "Someone had to say it... Unfortunately, Rika was just plain tactless about it."

"So you do care about others, Nonaka-chan," Rin smirked. "And here I thought you were an ice queen."

"I simply don't want to fight weaklings, that's all," Rika replied indignantly, as she began to walk away. "Renamon, we're leaving. We've gotten enough information as it is, anyway."

"Not yet," Renamon said, looking at Rider, "Rider, how did you absorb that Digimon's data, last time we fought?"

"I would normally not tell you, but you've already seen the effects, there's little else to it. I am somewhat unsure, but the benefits aren't that impressive," Rider replied, with a frown. "I can hold only one Digimon's data at a time, and it only provides me with that Digimon's abilities, not their physical attributes. I can only hold one set of Digimon data in my body, as well. I suspect it's the same with other Servants."

"Hmm. That does make sense," Archer crossed his arms. "If Servants can absorb Digimon data at all, they themselves are not data, so they can only hold and use so much."

"That's all I wanted to know," Renamon nodded, and began to walk away with her Tamer. Rika and her partner soon disappeared down the pathway.

Terriermon simply grinned, still resting on Henry's head. "Hehe. Rika's totally a tsundere."

"If she heard you say that, she'd probably get angry at you," Henry said dryly.

The aftermath was an awkward silence, only disrupted by Taiga's snoring. Ayako sighed, walking down the steps, "Sakura, I don't blame you for what happened between Shinji and me. You know what he's like." She smiled, "Just don't give him control of Rider again, okay? He's not very good at being a Master, anyway, seeing as how Rider apparently lost to Renamon."

"I'm not the only one to lose to an adult-level Digimon," Rider said dryly, looking at Archer, who chuckled in response.

"I... I'm sorry, Mitsuzuri-san... I don't want you to get hurt..." Sakura sniffed, trying to hold back tears.

"Sakura... You can keep staying at my place, alright? Just as long as you stay away from Shinji. He has a lot to answer for, and it's best that you don't go near him," Shirou spoke up.

"Y-Yes... I'd like that," Sakura smiled softly. "Um... Sempai? I'm sorry for deceiving you. I should've told you I was..."

"You would've known he was a Master the moment I started living with him," Saber remarked, with a soft smile. "It's alright, Sakura. We understand."

"I know you're a good person, everyone makes mistakes sometimes," Takato smiled, standing by Growlmon.

"YAY! Everyone's happy again, culu!" Plop! Calumon landed on Rider's head. This caused Sakura to giggle. Rider blinked under the blindfold, and picked up the little fuzzball, scratching him behind the ears, with a smile.

"Living prana generators should not be that adorable," Rin grumbled to herself, nearly causing Archer to burst into laughter.

"Firstly, we should do something about Fuji-nee," Shirou said, and then looked up at Growlmon, "and this big guy, here."

"Rin can handle that," Henry replied. "She and I were working on a way to drain excess prana from an evolved Digimon. We had some success with Terriermon. Apparently, the evolution energy is prana, or something similar, as you can't work it off through physical exercise."

"It tickles!" Terriermon added.

"Right, then, hold still..." Rin walked up to Growlmon, placing her hand on his leg, and began to mutter incantations. She was _very _glad she could use this method with Digimon, the last thing she wanted was to be forced to use the _other _method in a pinch. It also helped that she had a large chunk of her prana reserves drained by Daemon, so she needed it anyway. Growlmon soon began to shrink down, changing back to Guilmon.

"He's back to normal!" Takato laughed, hugging Guilmon, "thank you, Tohsaka-sempai!"

"Thank you!" Guilmon laughed as well, hugging an embarrassed Rin, who tried to get him off her. This caused a round of amusement from the others, except for Shirou, who was contemplating the events that had transpired. More Digimon were coming through the portal, and in increasingly dangerous forms...

* * *

"You know... I had no idea what to do. I was scared. He was so big, if we couldn't change him back, I wouldn't know what to do. He gets into all sorts of trouble..." Takato sighed, as they walked. Sakura had been tasked with taking Taiga elsewhere to wake her up (Rin had removed the memory of seeing the Digimon and the Servants just then), and the group was heading for the park exit so they could head home in groups.

"He's just a child, Takato. It's human nature for a guardian to be worried about their charge," Saber replied. "You simply need more experience with taking care of him."

"Yeah, I... I know. I guess being a Digimon Tamer is more work than I could ever imagine," Takato nodded. "I've always wanted to be one, the card game made it seem so cool..."

"Real life isn't a game," Rin spoke with her usual brutal honesty. Archer was currently in spirit form. "By getting involved in this, you're risking your life. You're not equipped to handle that reality, but a magus always walks with death."

Shirou nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. It was something Kiritsugu had taught him as one of the fundamentals of being a magus. "But at the same time, someone has to deal with the Digimon coming into this world before things get out of control."

"Oh, I know that," Rin sighed. "This is maddening. There hasn't been a crisis that could jeopardise the secrecy of magecraft in ten years, since the last war."

"The last war? What happened?" Henry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The Caster in the previous war had a Master who was a serial killer and somehow managed to summon him without being a magus. The pair disregarded the rules and went on a serial murder spree, forcing the supervisor of the war to put the war on hold until they were stopped," Rin frowned, not wanting to remember. "They murdered children. Kids around your age. I managed to go out on my own and save a bunch of kids before anything bad happened... But many others weren't so lucky. The Caster in this war is bad, but she at least has the restraint to not kill people. Those two were _**monsters**_."

Both Takato and Henry went _pale. _Henry now regretted asking in the first place, feeling sick. He didn't want to think about what happened, and neither did Takato. The reality of a serial murderer killing innocent kids scared the daylights out of them. Takato could only imagine what it would feel like if there was such a killer on the loose. Not even Terriermon had the nerve to crack a joke in such bad taste.

"I was the one who destroyed Caster with my Noble Phantasm," Saber said. "Kiritsugu dealt with the Master by killing him with a sniper rifle."

"Kiritsugu used guns, then?" Shirou asked of her.

Saber frowned, "Yes. He was a cold, ruthless man who would utilise underhanded means to achieve his goals. To be honest, I hated having him as a Master, his methods clashed with my chivalry, which is probably why we never really worked together. He would act on his own separately with his own methods, while Irisiviel would act as my Master. He was so willing to go to any length for his goals, but then he forced me to unleash my Noble Phantasm on the Grail without even telling me why. I suppose he simply didn't have the time to explain why."

"I remember him as an ordinary bumbling father who just happened to be a magus," Shirou replied, as he mulled over her words. "He didn't want me to become a magus, but he gave in eventually, and started teaching me. But apparently, he wasn't such a good teacher... I'm surprised I can even use magecraft at all, really. To to me... He truly was a sorcerer."

"If my father was still alive, I think he would've taken you in as a pupil," Rin chuckled. "I bet he would've been interested in seeing you develop as a first-generation magus. At the least, he would've taught you better."

"I can't help but wonder, how did your dads die?" Takato asked them both. "My parents said Kiritisugu died of unknown causes, but..."

"His body just got weaker, and eventually, he just... Passed away," Shirou said. "He wasn't wounded, at all."

This interested Rin somewhat, but she decided to not ask. "My father was killed in the last war. He was stabbed in the back. I still don't know who did it, or if the one responsible is even alive anymore."

Neither Takato nor Henry really had anything to say to that. All they could really do was head home, silent.

* * *

Shirou had spent the evening on his daily magecraft training, under Saber's supervision. By now, he already had been informed by Rin that he could now use his natural magic circuits, rather than having to use the dangerous method of having to form false ones from his nerves. While he didn't have full control over being able to switch them on or off yet, and his inexperience with using his circuits were causing side-effects, but he pressed on, practising his projection, starting with Archer's swords. The blades felt hollow from being an incomplete projection, but it was a start. Saber was more than eager to test the durability of his projections, urging him to improve.

And with that, he went to bed, satisfied with his results. His dreams were disjointed, and somewhat hazy in places, but he knew what he saw. He saw a field of swords, Saber as she was in life, using a golden sword that captivated him, and lastly, moments with Kiritsugu that he never remembered having...

"_Trace, On." Shirou took a deep breath, forming the sword in his hand. _

"_Seems I misjudged your talent for projection," Kiritsugu mused, as he watched Shirou form yet another sword in his hand. He had originally dismissed his adoptive son's talent as being worthless, but the realisation that he could form weapons with an unprecedented level of imitation was a fascinating revelation. While Shirou had considerably more trouble with objects other than simple weapons (as well as shields and armor, but those were still a bit more prana-intensive for him), his ability to analyse and replicate everything about an object, right down to its history, was a talent that was rarely seen. "Other forms of magic are more useful, in my opinion, but your talent has practical merit after all."_

"_So what happens now?" Shirou asked._

"_We're going to refine your talent, but I also want to teach you other skills," Kiritsugu replied. "Swords and bows are tried and true, but firearms are more practical in this day and age, especially against magi who are too arrogant to consider them a threat."_

"_But we don't have any firearms. And you know how strong firearm laws are in this country."_

"_I know. That's why I keep a hidden stash. I'm going to teach you how to use and maintain them."_

_From then on, Kiritsugu had Shirou maintain a diligent routine alongside his existing training – every evening, Shirou would train himself to be able to put together and clean the guns that Kiritsugu kept hidden under the floorboards in one of the hallways, and finally, he'd keep a handgun hidden under his futon..._

* * *

Shirou groaned, as he sat up in bed. That was a strange dream. He knew Kiritsugu had never taught him how to use a gun, nor tell him about any hidden stash. And he certainly didn't keep a handgun under the futon, that would certainly be ridiculous. He sighed, reaching under the futon to confirm this fact.

However, what he was certain of was promptly shattered when he felt something under there. A couple of things, actually. He pulled them out, inspecting them. It was a Glock semi-auto handgun, with an empty chamber but also with two full magazines, carrying around 16 rounds each. Exactly as he dreamed. And even stranger, he was able to take the handgun apart and put it back together quickly, as if he had been practising for years. It unnerved him greatly, to say the least.

"Shirou, are you awa-" the wall panel on the side opened, revealing Saber, who had been sleeping in the adjacent room. She blinked, looking confused, upon seeing Shirou with the handgun. "Shirou, where did you get that?"

"It was under my futon for some reason," Shirou spoke honestly, making sure to put the handgun back under the bed, "I had a strange dream last night. It was about Kiritsugu. It was like I was living moments with him that may have happened if he didn't die five years ago. He taught me how to use and maintain the guns he's keeping. But I know I've never touched a gun before in my life."

"I believe you, Shirou," Saber nodded, walking over to him. "That is strange indeed. On the bright side, however, a firearm might be useful. Kiritsugu was adept in the use of firearms, even against magi. He was ruthless, but also pragmatic in his methods. He wasn't a normal magus. I think he told me that he was best described as a 'magic user' rather than a 'magus', because he simply treated magecraft like any other tool, a means to an end, something incompatible with the traditional ideal of a magus."

"I see. He never cared about research or the Root or anything like that, huh...?" Shirou continued to examine the handgun. "Saber, I need to confirm something..."

After putting away the handgun and the magazines, Shirou and Saber went to find the floorboards that held Kiritsugu's secret stash. Much to their surprise, it was right where it was in the dream. They had been cleaned recently, somehow, as well. Multiple handguns, a couple of submachineguns, a Walther sniper rifle, and a variety of other armaments. However, Shirou noticed a glaring omission – one of the slots was missing a custom Thompson Contender, along with all of its ammunition. "Wow... I never thought Kiritsugu had so many weapons like this... We should keep this floorboard covered, the last thing we need is Fuji-nee or Sakura stumbling across them."

"I agree," Saber nodded. "You wouldn't be able to conceal any of the larger guns on your person anyway. It's better to keep what you can carry concealed."

Then her stomach rumbled. Loudly. After a brief, awkward pause, Saber was red in the face, looking down, as Shirou covered the secret stash again, with a smile. "I'll make breakfast, then?"

"Yes... That would be a good idea," Saber replied, trying and failing to conceal her own embarrassment.

* * *

Kirei Kotomine opened his church doors daily for mass, for those willing and able to come. It wasn't many, but he was content with that. Seeing the lost souls congregate at the church never ceased to fascinate him. Especially after finding his own true nature, he was always interested in discovering what made various people tick – partly to exploit that factor, of course, but finding out for its own sake was interesting on its own.

That morning, however, amongst the usual congregation, there was a man with a black coat who sat right at the back, looking straight at the fake priest. And when Kotomine finally noticed him, the fake priest, for the first time in many years, went _pale. _His expression soured, as he stared back at the black-haired man, who did not speak a word, nor did he change his blank expression, simply staring at him accusingly.

Kotomine thought he was seeing things. Because, for all intents and purposes, that man should be dead.

When Kotomine was able to start moving towards the back, the man left as quickly as he came. Kotomine attempted to catch up and confront him, but the man had simply disappeared the moment he had left the priest's line of sight. Kotomine hurried to the graveyard where the man was supposedly buried, and found the gravestone, one of the few actually left intact from the battle several days ago. There was no sign of the grave being disturbed, it was the same as it was five years ago.

"What's the matter, Kirei? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Gilgamesh had been curious about his own Master's sudden movements, and had gone to see what was going on, stepping over near the grave. Kirei frowned, staring at the grave in front of him. "I'm not sure if I simply was seeing things, or whether it was a true miracle or an imposter. But I saw the man who killed me ten years ago. A man who should be sleeping forever in this grave."

"Oh, the man who rudely interrupted my wedding ceremony? Does the possibility of having to fight him yet again worry you?" Gilgamesh chuckled, taking a sip from a wine glass, as usual.

Most men would have responded with 'yes'. But Kirei Kotomine was a different kind of man. Instead, upon considering the question, he smiled, a smile had hadn't borne for ten long years. "No. In fact, the notion excites me considerably. The opportunity to make Kiritsugu Emiya suffer once more... Is something I wouldn't give away for the world. If it's an imposter, though... I wonder who would have the audacity to impersonate the Magus Killer, and who would know about my feud with him..."

* * *

Mitsuo Yamaki was not having a good morning.

The fact that a Wild One managed to escape a Digital Field and wreak havoc in West Miyama was aggravating enough for him, and caught him flack from his bosses. But there were too many questions about the circumstances surrounding the battle, which had ended too soon for anyone to be there on the scene. What the HYPNOS system had detected, however, was multiple indicators of other Digimon that had been on the scene, including the creature that had slain the Wild One. In particular, there were multiple signatures that were almost entirely unlike the digital beings, despite sharing some slight similarities. These were an unknown quantity.

And Yamaki _hated _unknown quantities.

He continued his old habit of flicking open his cigarette lighter and closing it, looking up the huge dome that was essentially one big radar screen for the network. Using the Soggoth program to remove the anomaly that had appeared the day before had been an excellent test run. He was eager to try it again on a moving target, this time.

And when a Wild One appeared on the radar, too fast to be caught by a tracer program, and was about to Realize in a busy street, he gave the order. "Use the Yuggoth program."

"But sir, it's already realizing, the program could affect the real world as well!" one of the girls operating the radar replied.

"And if we let it emerge in the real world, it'll do much worse damage, and we cannot let that happen. That's an order," Yamaki replied sternly.

"Y-Yes, sir."

As the program was initialised and executed, it could be seen as its own marker on the radar, chasing down the Wild One. Despite attempts to evade it, the weapon program caught and destroyed its target. Yamaki was pleased, not hiding the smirk that emerged on his face. He did not like unknown quantities, but if there was one thing he _did _like, it was results. "Excellent. Yuggoth is now our weapon for eliminating these artificial beings."

"_Revenge... I will get revenge on humans...!"_

The ominous voice that echoed through the room caught Yamaki off-guard. He frowned. Of course it wasn't that simple. It _never_ was...

* * *

"Emiya-kun? Why did you bring Mitsuzuri-san with you?" Issei asked, looking slightly nervous as Shirou and Ayako entered the student council meeting room at lunch that day. Once again, the cardboard box was right next to Issei, as Shirou anticipated.

"Ryudou-kun, I know what's in that box, don't go freaking out on me," Ayako chuckled, as she sat down. "Yesterday, another Digimon appeared in the Archery Club's storage room, a 'Gatomon', who decided it was a good place to nap. We lured her out with a fresh fish."

"Sorry, Issei, I knew about that, but I forgot to tell you," Shirou sighed, sitting down.

"Another one...? And here I thought those games were simply just that," Issei sighed. "If word gets out about this, who knows what will happen... The last thing we need is the JSDF getting involved in all of this. First the gas leaks, then the murders, and now these creatures..."

Ryudamon poked his snout out from under the box, looking up at Ayako, and smiled, coming out, "oh, a lovely maiden graces us with her presence! I am Ryuadamon, so wonderful to meet you."

"A flatterer, isn't he?" Ayako smirked. "Ayako Mitsuzuri, captain of the archery club." She then looked back at Issei, "oh, you have no idea. There are 'wild' Digimon showing up, and there's even tamers with Digivices. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Can you keep a secret, Issei?"

"M-Mitsuzuri-san, we shouldn't just tell him that quickly," Shirou interjected, worried about secrecy. If too many people were involved, he didn't know how long things could stay under wraps.

"So there is more to this," Issei frowned. "Alright, then. As much as I dislike doing it, I'll keep my mouth shut. What's going on?"

* * *

Rika was wracked with paranoia. While wandering about after school, she had spotted what appeared to be the fleeting image of some kind of white demon, which rapidly retreated into the shadows without a trace each time she tried to give chase. She felt like she was being watched, and it was nerve-wracking. But she also hated the feeling that she was being taunted, and wanted to punch the jerk right in his stupid face. She felt more aggressive than usual. Was it because she told Renamon earlier that day that they couldn't be 'partners', and that she was just a Digimon? She wasn't sure. But she wondered if she had made a mistake.

After chasing the latest apparition into an alleyway, however, she found herself with a hand clasped around her mouth, and her arms behind her back. A familiar female voice whispered into her ear, "don't say a word. You're being goaded by a Digimon, a stronger one than normal. If given the right opportunity, he will attempt to capture or kill you. When you're alone, stay away from any walls, watch your shadow, and don't stay in any one spot for longer than you have to. Find Renamon, immediately."

She recognised that voice, and judging by the hands that clasped her mouth, and then let go, quickly turning around to see a blindfolded beauty. "Rider?!"

However, both she and Rider were surprised when a barrier was suddenly formed between them, separating them, giving another pair of white hands enough time to emerge from the nearest wall, grab Rika and pull her back towards the wall. Rider immediately struck at the barrier with her nail, attempting to break it, but it was strengthened by another force. Caster emerged next to Rika, waving a finger, chastising Rider, with a dark smile under her hood, "Now now, I can't have you stopping my associate from getting what he wants. We made a deal, and I can't have you interfere, you naughty gorgon."

"So you figured out my identity, Medea? Considering we are both from the Age of the Gods, I suppose I am not surprised," Rider spoke dryly, attacking the barrier, "let her go, or I will kill you both where you stand!"

"Amusing ultimatum, but I'm afraid we have places to be. Ta-ta," Caster chuckled, as she and her 'associate' disappeared, along with a frightened Rika. The barrier disappeared, as well.

Rider swore under her breath, as she disappeared into spirit form, and immediately got moving, "damn it all... Where are you, Renamon?!"

* * *

"Let go of me! How dare you!" Rika snarled, as IceDevimon gripped her arm, leaving her unable to run. Not that she had anywhere to escape, in his icy lair, surrounded by the frozen trophies of the white devil's kills. He had already made his intention perfectly clear – to become her partner. But even she was unable to condone the display he had so proudly presented to her, even if he claimed that she was just as cold and heartless as he was.

"You can have your fun with her, _after _I get what I need, IceDevimon," Caster spoke, as she approached Rika, calmly removing her digivice from her person, despite the girl's protests. "As per our agreement, I've already seen to the woman's safety. She has a new arm, and is sleeping soundly. It was quite the surprise to discover that she possessed a Noble Phantasm. You certainly got lucky."

"Indeed, fortune has favoured me quite well as of late," IceDevimon chuckled, as Rika continued to struggle against his grip.

"At any rate..." Caster sat down where she had numerous tools, and much to Rika's surprise and curiosity, she began to take the digivice apart with the most delicate of care, examining every component and circuit, committing every piece of information, both physical and mystical, to memory. And when she was done, she put it back together immediately afterwards, like it was good as new. Rika was in awe at the flawless disassembly and re-assembly, which did not escape Caster's eyes, as she handed the device back to her. "Oh, you're curious about my handiwork? My crafting skill is rivalled by few. It was trivial for me to take it apart to see how it works, and commit it to memory. I have made no physical modifications to it."

"Whatever," Rika grumbled, as IceDevimon finally let her go, "Renamon is my partner, not you!"

"How amusing. You actually care for that weakling? She hasn't gotten you the power you desire. I far stronger than she ever will, and more attuned to your cold heart. Accept reality!" IceDevimon chuckled, moving towards her again, "otherwise I may have to take drastic measures..."

"No. I have a better idea, actually." Caster suddenly interrupted. Where he was going with such words reminded her of a man trying to force himself upon a woman, and she decided that was not remotely acceptable. Besides, she had another idea, one that Rika would be much less opposed to, she figured. She removed her hood, causing Rika to gasp. Caster, who had looked so sinister just moments before, was utterly _beautiful. _Rika wouldn't admit it, but she was slightly jealous of the Servant's beauty, especially her long blue hair. Even IceDevimon was entranced by her. Caster smiled softly, walking towards them, "with the information I have already gathered, I have what I need. IceDevimon, I believe I can provide you with a far more suitable partner than her."

"Hmm... Considering your abilities, I will humour your offer for the time being. You have lived up to our 'partnership' well enough, thus far," IceDevimon chuckled, with a nod.

"Excellent. As for you, Rika-chan..." Caster spoke, as she stepped over to the girl, "I have an offer for you. You want power, correct? For a partner who is stronger than any other?"

"If you plan on presenting me a replacement for Renamon, forget it," Rika regained her nerve, snarling at her. "Don't talk to me like that, or call me Rika-chan! We're not friends, you don't understand me!"

"Oh, please don't misunderstand. I want to help the both of you," Caster replied, which surprised Rika. "I can provide the both of you incredible power. I understand your bond with her quite well, and I am more than willing to cultivate it for our mutual benefit. If you help me claim the Holy Grail, I will provide you avenues of power. Not shallow, flawed methods that can be taken away easily. I can make you a match for Rin Tohsaka and Renamon a match for her Archer."

"Me? A match for Miss Perfect? You know I don't have magic like she does," Rika frowned.

"Not yet. Not all humans possess working magic circuits, but..." She tapped her finger against Rika's forehead, which glowed briefly, "You possess dormant circuits. These are quite rare, often considered a mutation. With a little assistance on my part, you can start using all of them immediately. There will be side-effects to their initial activation, but I imagine you are willing to endure such suffering, no? With magecraft, you can aid your partner on the battlefield with more than just cards. I will personally teach you how. Who else would be a more suitable teacher than I, the most powerful magus in the country, with power from the Age of the Gods?"

Rika clenched her fists, heavily weighing her options. But in the end, it did not take long for her to make her decision.

* * *

Rider passed on what happened to Sakura before she went to find Renamon. Sakura, in turn, informed Shirou and Rin, who nearly panicked as a result, fetching Takato and Henry. The fact that Caster had assisted a Digimon in abducting Rika had raised alarm bells. One could only hope that she was unharmed, though Rin was not optimistic, due to Caster's track record. Takato and Henry were both frightened of what they could potentially stumble upon if they did find her. They assumed that Rika would be taken back to the Ryuudou Temple, and they were getting ready with a plan of attack on the temple, especially to get past Assassin...

As day turned to evening, a thin pillar of light became visible from a skyscraper in East Miyama. This did not go unnoticed by Archer, who alerted the group, having been keeping watch from the rooftop of Rin's home...

* * *

"Geez... What's Caster doing at the top of this building?!" Shirou grit his teeth, as he ran up the stairs, flanked by Saber, in full combat gear and ready to go. He had the Glock and a few magazines concealed in his usual school uniform, held by a simple but sturdy makeshift harness.

"We don't have a clue, but we'll find out soon! This must be that Digimon's lair!" Rin replied. There was an extra 'floor' on the roof, its roof and walls made of pure ice, but virtually invisible to normal people due to the thin fog around it.

Sakura, as she stayed at the back, was somewhat anxious. Rider hadn't returned to her side, yet. However, considering she had gone to find Renamon, she wondered if she was coming back with her. But then she realised that Rider's presence was getting closer. Was she already at the top?

Upon reaching the top floor, Saber forced the door open, gripping her sword as the group cautiously entered the cold room. Then, all of a sudden, Rider landed next to her, looking somewhat injured. "Master... I'm sorry, I couldn't stop them..."

"Stop them? From doing what...?" Rin asked, but she was promptly distracted by multiple fireballs being launched at her from the other side of the room. Archer deflected the projectiles with his swords.

"Tch... All your power as a magus, and you let your lap-dog protect you, Tohsaka," spoke a familiar voice. Rika walked forward, her hand outstretched, with Renamon by her side. With another swing of her arm and a quick aria, she launched more fireballs at the group, which Saber and Archer handily deflected. "Stop hiding behind your Servant and fight me like a proper magus!"

"R-Rika?! You're using magecraft?!" Henry was completely astonished. "How?! Why are you attacking us?!"

"That's what I was talking about..." Rider grit her teeth. "Rika and Renamon... They've joined Caster's side."

"Caster offered me new ways to gain power for myself and Renamon! I've already learned a couple of spells in such a short time. It was like I was born to use this power," Rika boasted. "I don't need any of you! Renamon and I will become stronger than anyone else!"

"Oh, great, she's given into temptation," Ayako frowned, sticking to the back of the group.

"Rika, Caster is hurting people! This isn't right!" Takao pleaded with her, as Guilmon stood at his side, snarling.

"Do I look like I care, Matsuki? As long as I have Renamon with me... It doesn't make a bit of difference!" Rika replied. "If you think I'm wrong, try and beat me! Guilmon isn't a match for Renamon, not anymore! Renamon, are you ready?"

Renamon nodded, closing her eyes. "I am. I'll follow you wherever you go... After all, we are partners. Even if it means going through the gates of hell."

"I think that's quite enough showing off, Rika-chan. I admire your confidence, but you shouldn't heat your body too much from the use of magecraft. Now it's time for the real fun to begin," spoke Caster, as the rest of the room illuminated, revealing herself, IceDevimon, and his 'collection'... Along with a large group of animated skeletons, the witch's favoured summon. "IceDevimon, you take care of the weaker Digimon. Renamon can handle Archer. I will keep Saber and Rider busy."

Then, Caster began to open fire with her powerful magecraft, forcing Saber into action, deflecting the shots, while Rider attempted to flank the witch. Renamon rushed towards Archer, who drew his swords, and they immediately clashed, with Archer realizing that Renamon's body was reinforced, making the fight more even, this time.

Henry checked his digivice, "IceDevimon... Adult-level, Fallen Angel, Virus-type. He's pretty strong, if he's able to have an influence over this place via this digital field... Even Guilmon and Terriermon didn't sense him when he first realized!"

"Well, we'll have to beat him up to smack some sense into Rika! Guilmon, let's go!" Takato spoke.

"Guilmon will save Rika!" Guilmon nodded, charging forward, launching a couple of fireballs at the advancing skeletons.

"You too, Terriermon!" Henry told his partner, who nodded, and followed Guilmon, "got it, Henry!"

"Two child-levels? Against me? Such a waste of my talents," IceDevimon smirked, as his eyes glowed, firing an icy beam that froze the pair in their tracks, completely covered in ice. Their tamers were surprised and distraught, attempting to try and break the ice. "Don't bother! The ice will eventually kill them both."

"Damn it... We have to break the ice, quickly! Trace, On!" Shirou moved to protect the two tamers, his projected swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, smashing through the advancing skeletons. Rin was occupied by Rika attempting to pin her down with fireballs, with the two magi trading shots. In the background, Saber and Rider were trying to approach Caster, who was keeping her distance, and Archer was giving Renamon a considerable fight. Sakura was standing by with Ayako.

"Hmm... Who should I kill first? Perhaps the Master of Saber shall do! Frost Claw!" IceDevimon smirked, as he pushed the skeletons out of the way, slashing at Shirou with his claws. Shirou narrowly parried the strikes with his blades, and slashed back quickly, his training with Saber paying off, as he clashed with the white devil for several seconds before IceDevimon managed to kick him into an icicle, right in the gut, continuing to kick him repeatedly until he coughed up blood, "impressive for a human, but you're still just a third-rate magus!"

"D-Damn you... I won't let you hurt anyone!" Shirou grit his teeth, trying to get up. Henry had managed to break the ice using an 'expanding universe' card on Terriermon, but then IceDevimon took the opportunity to slam the two Digimon against a wall while they were trying to recover...

Renamon, meanwhile, crashed to the floor near Rika, heavily injured. Archer sighed, remarking, "honestly, I can't believe just a little reinforcement made you think you could beat me. Your arrogance never fails to surprise me, Nonaka. And she just follows you like a puppy, without question. What kind of 'partner' is that?"

"Why you... Renamon is my friend!" Rika replied. And then her digivice lit up.

This surprised both Archer and Rin, the former noticing Calumon watching from the stairs, his forehead lit up. Archer sighed, as Renamon evolved into Kyubimon, _she's on the bad guys' side, and she still gets the friendship power-up? That's not how this is supposed to work..._

Kyubimon's eyes narrowed, as her tails lit up, and she launched nine fireballs at Archer, forcing him on the defensive, as she could control them remotely. Archer had to keep moving, deflecting the fireballs as they got close, with his twin swords. Kyubimon spoke, "Don't underestimate me. Regardless of where we stand in this conflict, Rika and I are still strong!"

Rin blinked, and then smirked, "still, I wonder... How long is your prana going to last, Rika? Especially if your magic circuits have only just been activated. You don't look so good right now, I'm surprised that you're still standing."

"SHUT UP!" Rika snarled, launching more fireballs at Rin, who deflected them with ease, with a sigh. This was going to be drawn out, it seems...

And then the sound of a gunshot rung through the room, followed by a pained cry.

Shirou gripped his handgun with both hands, unloading a few more rounds into IceDevimon's back out of desperation. While the bullets weren't very effective (in fact, as far as damage went, Shirou might as well have been using a toy gun instead), they were still painful enough to make him loosen his grip on Guilmon and Terriermon. The both of them took advantage of this, with Terriermon smashing IceDevimon with his ears, and Guilmon's Pyro Sphere doing heavy damage, with Caster's reinforcement being the only thing enabling IceDevimon to not be deleted there and then.

"Seems things are not going our way... IceDevimon, Rika-chan, we are leaving!" Caster spoke, immediately unleashing a storm of magical energy shots to keep her enemies distracted, as she swooped in to snatch up Rika. Kyubimon and IceDevimon took the hint, following her out of a hole in the ice that she had created, escaping into the night, despite Saber and Rider's attempts to give chase. The digital field, along with the ice, rapidly disappeared.

"Rika is now our enemy... That does not bode well," Saber frowned, as she landed near Shirou. "Such a troubled girl..."

"They fled, though, so I guess we can chalk that one up as a win," Rin sighed.

Archer was glancing at Shirou, concerned, looking at the gun in his hand. _Shirou shouldn't be carrying a gun... Or even be able to use one. I know Kiritsugu used guns, but he never passed on that knowledge of using them... What is going on here?_

"S-Sempai, where did you get the gun from?" Sakura asked, meekly.

"It's a long story, but this isn't a good time to tell it," Shirou replied, panting. "Damn it... We lost an ally."

"Why?! Why did she join Caster?! That doesn't make any sense! If she wanted to be a magus, she could have asked Tohsaka-sempai for help!" Takato clenched his fists, confused and frustrated, with Guilmon not exactly sure why he was so angry.

"I think it's a measure of pride more than anything," Henry replied. "If Caster told her she could get her up to speed on magecraft quicker than Tohsaka could, that is a potent temptation in and of itself. Plus, Rika might be feeling the need to prove herself superior to Tohsaka, as a magus. You know how she is."

"Her? A superior magus? How utterly ridiculous," Rin scoffed, crossing her arms. "She's a first-generation magus who only just discovered her own potential. I have a strong bloodline, a magic crest, and around forty high-quality magic circuits. She can't possibly compare."

"As I said, you know how Rika is – stubborn and competitive. The only way we can bring her back to our side, is to defeat Caster and IceDevimon first," Henry sighed, letting Terriermon hop up onto his shoulders. "But if she considers Renamon a friend... That's a good sign, at least. Those two have a strong bond."

_But therein lies the question... Can we save before she becomes a monster? That is what I am afraid of... _Rider thought to herself.

* * *

Bazett Fraga McRemtiz awoke in a cold sweat, finding herself in a new place. At least she was sitting on a proper bed, rather than a cold, hard floor. And, much to her surprise, her missing arm had somehow been regenerated. The recovery of lost limbs was a powerful magecraft, making her wonder who could have saved her.

"Good evening. It's good to see you awake and recovering," spoke Caster, as she stepped into the room, her hood down. She gave the lady magus a warm smile.

Bazett stood up, frowning, noting that she was in her bare undergarments, her clothes and equipment off to the side by the bed. "Who are you? What is this place?"

"I am the Servant Caster, and this is Ryuudou Temple. I went to the trouble of healing you. It was astonishing that you had lasted so long," Caster replied. "I believe we can be of mutual assistance to each other. My associate found you locked away in the Kotomine Chruch. I plan on killing the priest and claiming the Grail vessel, myself. I assume you want revenge on him."

"Oh, gladly, he owes me something very important," Bazett replied dryly, as she put on her gloves, first. "But the Grail vessel isn't at the church. Either you were unaware, or misinformed. I did my research on the Grail, before coming to Fuyuki."

"Oh? Then where is it?"

"The question isn't just 'where', but 'who'. The Grail is a living being, Illyasviel von Einzbern, a homunculus created by the Einzbern family for the purposes of serving as the vessel," Bazett replied, as she put on the clothes. Since Caster healed her, telling her this information was at least somewhat reasonable, she did owe the Servant her life, after all.

"Ah, the Master of Berserker... That is going to be a problem," Caster frowned. "In that case, I would like to request your assistance in securing the vessel."

"Fine, as long as we kill Kotomine. He must have stolen my command seal for Lancer," Bazett frowned. "I want Lancer's command seal back."

"Ah, so that's who Lancer's Master is. Very interesting, the supervisor of the Grail War, becoming a Master, himself? Now that is certainly not fair," she chuckled. "I accept your terms, I have just the thing for recovering Lancer's command seal. But I feel you will need a Servant of your own to be able to accomplish this. Thankfully, I have one ready for you. Hopefully he will suffice."

After Bazett was properly dressed in her suit, they stepped outside, towards the temple gates. Caster called out, "Assassin, your new Master is ready to accept your command seal. It's your lucky day, you won't have to guard this gate all the time, anymore."

"Oh? Is that so?" Appearing out of the ether, was a man with long, purple hair, wearing a traditional Japanese garb, and with a long sword by his side. Assassin looked over Bazett, with a smile. "Oh, now this is interesting. I can tell on a first glance that we will get along just fine, miss...?"

"Bazett. Bazett Fraga McRemitz," Bazett replied. "You're not Lancer, but I suppose Assassin is good enough. I hope your skills will not make you a liability in combat."

"Oh, believe me, you have not seen what I am capable of," Assassin smirked. "I look forward to working together with you, Bazett-san..."

_**To Be Continued**_

* * *

_Alright, originally, the plan was for the whole thing with IceDevimon to play out mostly as it did in Tamers, except with IceDevimon surviving, with Caster only keeping the other Servants busy. However, aside from my general dislike of rehashing existing scenes, I realized that Caster offering Rika and Renamon the power of magecraft would be a unique twist, while also staying true to their characters. At this stage, Rika is struggling over what it means to have a partner, Renamon simply wants to bond with her, and Caster is not picky about who her associates are. Unlike IceDevimon, who wants Rika all to himself, Caster recognises the strength of Rika and Renamon's bond, and offers them a new avenue to gain power while keeping their bond intact, which makes Rika's decision to join her much easier, and also enables me to explore other possibilities with this route, including her 'rivalry' with Rin. Long story short, Rika and Renamon are officially on Caster's side, as is Bazett, who is mostly doing it because she owes Caster her life, and considers their alliance to be reasonable. Bet you never saw that one coming, huh?_


End file.
